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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494926">Just a Little Touch</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHSLPUNKARTIST/pseuds/SHSLPUNKARTIST'>SHSLPUNKARTIST</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Friday Night Funkin' (Video Game), Pico's School (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BF is named Keith and GF is Amelia, Blow Jobs, But it's mostly sensual, Car Sex, Daddy Dearest is named Luis, Everyone's 19+, F/M, It'll get sexual later, Luis the sore loser, M/M, Multi, OT3, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pico needs help but won't take it, Pico the Bottom Bitch, Schizophrenia, School Shootings, Suicidal Thoughts, Touch-Starved, bisexual rights, many many kisses, nobody important dies, probably</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:41:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,537</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29494926</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHSLPUNKARTIST/pseuds/SHSLPUNKARTIST</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When you go through some terrible shit, you're bound to only want to keep it to yourself. It doesn't make things better if you talk it out.<br/>But there are other ways to feel better, even if only temporary..</p><p>(AKA Pico has been forcing himself alone for so long, but he needs comfort bad. GF and BF are there to help)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Boyfriend (Friday Night Funkin')/Girlfriend (Friday Night Funkin')/Pico (Pico's School), Boyfriend (Friday Night Funkin')/Pico (Pico's School), Girlfriend (Friday Night Funkin')/Pico (Pico's School), boyfriend (friday night funkin')/girlfriend (friday night funkin')</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>72</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>466</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't been writing in so long, but instead of updating my original fics, here I am getting absorbed into another fandom.</p><p>FNF has practically zero plot, and I only know the basics of Pico's backstory, so this will probably sound ooc, but whatever. I'm having fun writing it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>A gun held at your brain, finger ready to pull the trigger, the world waiting to hear the loud bang.</em><br/>                                                                                           <em>Yet you didn’t move a single inch, didn’t breathe another word.</em><br/>                                                                                                    <em>Why are you torturing me with that sliver of hope?</em></p>
<p>                                                                                                         -------------------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pico was always sure to keep everything to himself. What was the point of sharing the life that took away a normal childhood? Why relive it in your brain? Everything was best kept secret, buried deep down, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it nearly as much as you would if you said that shit out loud. If they knew, they also kept quiet. If they didn’t, oh well. The only ones that wanted to know were gossipy fucks anyway, and they didn’t need to hear that shit just to keep their monkey brains entertained. </p>
<p>It wasn’t like he was trying to pretend it didn’t happen. Of course it did. That school shooting, all those fuckheads got hold of any and every weapon possible.. He was in the middle of it. The “hero” or.. No, not hero. Being a hero was bullshit. He lived another day out of pure spite. </p>
<p>
  <em>“You want me dead? Fuck you, now I’m gonna stay alive.”</em>
</p>
<p>But just because he lived through it doesn’t mean he wasn’t a victim. He was never close to too many people, but he always swore he could see someone in the corner of his eye. He could hear someone right behind him. He could almost feel a hand graze his own, begging for help, wanting him dead, something to happen--</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>With a shaky hand and crazed expression, Pico glared at the new bullet hole decorating his floor, faint steam fizzing from the mark. It couldn’t be helped. Whenever those voices got too loud, too real.. He had to shut it down. He used his bullets on the floors and walls than on actual people at this point. It was honestly a miracle that the cops weren’t called on him for constant shots. That was probably the one benefit in living in a shit place such as this. </p>
<p>“Fuck..” Pico finally breathed out, throwing his hand as if to toss his gun, but he never let go. He couldn’t. The gun always stood with him. It was the one thing to keep him together, even though it was the main source of his troubles in the first place. </p>
<p>He needed fresh air. Now.</p>
<p>-------------------</p>
<p>“C’mon, it was ONE note slip! Even I can make mistakes like that, right??”</p>
<p>“I dunno, can you~?”</p>
<p>A couple walking down the street in the small city were laughing with each other.. Well ok, the amber haired lady was laughing at her blue haired lover boy, whose face was as red as her skirt. Other than the occasional car drive by, the streets could easily hear their conversation, as if it was national tv. Not like they cared. All their attention was on each other, especially with the girl teasing the other.</p>
<p>“You’re never gonna let me live this down, are you, Ami?” The boyfriend whined, making “Ami” giggle again. Dammit, even though she was laughing at him, she was still adorable as hell about it.</p>
<p>“You know I’m only teasing you, Keith.” She leaned down and kissed his cheek, playing with his hair that stuck out from under his red cap. “You still sang perfectly in my ears. It’s just silly how much you brag about being the perfect rapper.”</p>
<p>Keith huffed, kicking at a random rock on the floor. “Yeah, well.. Still am.”</p>
<p>“Of course you are, sweetie.”</p>
<p>“And YOU’RE the perfect girlfriend, so there!” he exclaimed, suddenly hugging her tight and kissing under her chin, her laughter filling him with such pride. Nothing else mattered than his girlfriend’s smile and happiness. Nothing..</p>
<p>“You lovebirds wanna fuck elsewhere, or d’you just not give a shit?”</p>
<p>A rude tone spat at the air behind them, startling the couple and almost making Keith fall back. He got ready to bark back at whoever wanted to start a fight, but he froze in place once he saw the voice’s owner. “Pico??”</p>
<p>Sure enough, Pico was standing with his hands in his pockets, but it seemed like it took a second to realize who was in front of them, seeing as how his rude demeanor softened. He didn’t feel like taking his words back, but instead smirked and said, “Won’t Amelia’s parents come and chew yer ass off if they saw ya’ bein’ all ‘doki-doki’ with each other? You grew some balls, Keith~”</p>
<p>Keith responded with a playful punch to his arm, returning Pico’s grin with his own. “What, you got sent over for round 2? I already won against them a month ago, I think it’s safe to say I’m untouchable!” </p>
<p>“It’s not.” Amelia words shot at Keith’s pride, but she only smiled and hugged him from behind, resting her head on his own. Pico wondered if she had actually gotten taller.. “But they’re out for business lately, so we haven’t had to worry about them.” She looked over at Pico, her usual gentle eyes making contact with his tired ones. “It’s been awhile, Pico. How’ve you been?”</p>
<p>“Ehh. Usual.” He shrugged, his right hand coming out to scratch the back of his head, forcing his left tucked into his hoodie pocket. “Just came out for some air.” Of course he hadn't planned to meet up with anyone, especially these two, but somehow.. He felt a lot more at ease. Definitely less tense than their first reunion, where he was sent out to actually kill Keith. He didn’t go through with it, obviously, and most of him is relieved he didn’t. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The small part regretted losing that $10k offer.</p>
<p>“Hey, we’re gonna grab some pizza now. Come with us!” Keith spoke up, squeezing Amelia’s arms and smiling like a kid. “We got offered a free pizza pie for winning in a rap battle, so don’t worry about having to pay for us~” he teased, reaching over to tug at Pico’s arm.</p>
<p>Pico pulled it back and almost wanted to decline, but his stomach gave him away. Truth be told, he hadn’t eaten anything the whole day, and it was almost night time at this point. Plus, it was free food. Still, he couldn’t look TOO excited about it.. For reasons he wasn’t quite sure why.</p>
<p>“Yeah, fuck it. I’ll come.”</p>
<p>-------------------------</p>
<p>Something Pico noticed was how touchy-feely this couple was to each other. </p>
<p>After the battle between them, they only really kept contact through texting and a few in-person meetups. Keith loved to gush about Amelia, and Amelia liked to talk about random topics. Pico learned it was because she knew he wasn’t much of a talker himself, so she would ramble about whatever came to mind, and he’d listen. To be honest, it was nice. And even though Keith loved his girl, they both knew how to mess with each other, shit talking one another and laughing at people tripping over themselves.</p>
<p>But he never noticed them being close like this before, until now. </p>
<p>Amelia liked to brush Keith’s hair through her fingers, even though most was covered by the cap. Keith liked to touch her hands, her arm, her shoulders, her cheek… wherever he could touch skin, he would. They both liked to lean against one another, sneak a kiss on a hand or cheek, being so close like they lived off each other.</p>
<p>If this was a random couple, Pico would be barfing right now.</p>
<p>The couple talked most of the time about something funny that happened, their daily life, asking if Pico knew about this or that; and Pico would just listen, nodding and responding whenever the attention was on him. He hadn’t listened to every word they said, but he paid attention enough to know what they were going off about. Part of him felt like a third wheel, even though he knew they were doing everything they could to make him feel included. It was nice.</p>
<p>
  <em>“So nice..”</em>
</p>
<p>…..</p>
<p>
  <em>“So so nice…”</em>
</p>
<p>Why couldn’t it stay nice?</p>
<p>
  <em>“Can I laugh too..? It’s funny.. Haha..”</em>
</p>
<p>A new damn voice hummed beside him, making his whole body tense up. Pico didn’t dare turn to see who was speaking, because he knew he wouldn’t see anyone. He never did. He never will. Yet the voice kept humming, circling around him, giving him goosebumps and making his eyes tremble.</p>
<p>
  <em>“I want to be happy.. So nice.. I want to laugh to.. Sooo niiice..”</em>
</p>
<p>Shut up already.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why can’t I be happy..”</em>
</p>
<p>Shut up dammit..</p>
<p>
  <em>“I was nice.. I was so.. Soo..”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>SHUT UP!!</strong>
</p>
<p>Sudden hands grabbed at his own, pulling them under the table, away from bystanders’ view. Pico's brain began to function, only to realize his breathing was heavy and out of order, his body cold yet sweating a storm. His blurry vision slowly began to clear and saw Keith’s hands firmly holding his own… or rather, the top of his hands.</p>
<p>Pico had taken out his gun.</p>
<p>“Pico?? Are you ok..?” Keith’s voice rang in Pico’s ears, yet Pico hesitated to look up. When he did, Keith looked at him with concern and fear, as well as Amelia, who wanted to reach over to hold his hand as well. The pizzeria was full of murmurs and casual conversations, yet the silence between them was literally choking him. He wanted to run away so bad. </p>
<p>“I… it’s nothing.. Let go..” Pico forced himself to answer, trying to pull his hands away, but Keith was stronger than him right now. </p>
<p>“Pico, you were telling us to shut up..” Amelia spoke softly. “Were we upsetting you? Were you..” she didn’t finish her sentence, her glance at the gun finishing it for her.</p>
<p>Shit, he was saying it out loud. And they thought he was talking about them. And they thought he was gonna..</p>
<p>“No. I wasn’t gonna fuckin’..” dammit, why was his voice still shaky?? “I said it’s nothing, it’s not you guys..”</p>
<p>“Then what’s going on? You can talk to us.” Keith’s grip softened, but he didn’t let go quite yet. He was worried as hell. When Pico forced his hands to relax, he could tell Keith was trembling a bit too. “You wanna get out of here to talk about it? We wanna help, so--”</p>
<p>Without warning, Pico swiped his hands away, immediately stuffing the gun back into his pockets. He stood up and dodged Keith’s attempt at grabbing him again, dashing out the pizzeria like his life depended on it. The last thing he heard was Keith calling out for him, but all he could do was run. He didn’t want to look back, didn’t want to think back. </p>
<p>He just wanted to be alone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been a few days since the pizzeria incident.</p>
<p>Keith had texted Pico to let him know that they were open ears when he was ready, but Pico hadn’t responded. He wanted to drown himself into his bed… well, only for that night. Things went back to normal the next day, but that didn’t mean normal was good. He got a text every now and then from Keith, but only the last one he sent did he finally say “I’m better now. Chill”. </p>
<p>Since that time, he shot two more bullets at the floor and one outside at a tree, scaring the shit out of some squirrels.</p>
<p>Pico only went outside for 2 reasons: food and air. He was only a small-time hitman, so when he got hits from random losers, the money could only last him for so long. It was enough to survive though. And the air? He needed to breathe. Breathe and stretch his legs out. Having the window open was never enough.</p>
<p>But perhaps, maybe staying by the open window would’ve helped him avoid a certain someone.</p>
<p>It happened so suddenly, being tackled from behind and falling onto the dirty ground. Who knows if the tackler meant to do it so forcefully, but it happened, and now he had a gun pointed right at his head. “Th’ fuck are you doing?! You wanna die or--!” Pico snarled, but bit his tongue once he saw that familiar messy blue hair. He shook his head and smacked Keith off, earning a grumble in pain. “What kinda plan was that, dumbass? Your brain as small as your height, or what??”</p>
<p>“Frickin’.. Finally found you!” Keith rubbed at his new small bruise before glaring at Pico. “I’ve been looking for you for the past 2 days! Why won’t you answer my texts?? Ignoring me for someone else, huh??”</p>
<p>“You’re not funny, idiot.” Pico sucked his teeth as he stood up, dusting himself off before turning to leave… only for Keith to grab at his leg. </p>
<p>“I’m not trying to be funny.” This time, Keith actually sounded serious, which took Pico off-guard for that moment. He looked up at the other, never breaking eye contact as he stood up as well. “Ami told me to give you some space, but I kept thinking about what was going on through your head that day. You were freaking out in your seat and shit, and you looked ready to shoot someone out of nowhere! Can we just..” His hand reached out to Pico’s hand, the one that held the gun in a tight grip. Pico wanted to think it was to keep the gun away from him, but Keith still never broke eye contact with him. “Can we talk? Just a bit?”</p>
<p>The ginger stood in silence, unsure if he should give in because he actually wanted to company, or knock him out and run away. He should’ve figured Keith would be the stubborn type, considering the lengths he went just to stay as Amelia’s boyfriend. This was stupid, so so stupid.</p>
<p>“... My place is that way.”</p>
<p>------------------</p>
<p>Keith had only been to Pico’s place once, since they would hang out either outside or at his own place, so he had almost forgotten how run down and sketchy everything seemed to look. The neighborhood basically screamed “You ain’t got shit left but this”, which made him adjust his cap a bit more down to cover his face. Pico didn’t care though, because he knew everyone else didn’t care. It was more so a place to rest after giving up, not to cause unnecessary trouble. </p>
<p>Pico held the door for the other and locked the door behind them once they were in, turning on the light to show off the small yet decently clean apartment. There was hardly any trash on the floor, no dishes in the sink, some clothes put in a lazy pile, and a bunch of random decorations to give the place some kinda liveliness. Keith made his way to the couch (which definitely looked like a hand-me-down), his eyes wandering like a kid on field trip. </p>
<p>His eyes made contact with a bullet hole on the ceiling, which made him wince a bit. “Neighbors too loud?” He said, joking a bit to make light of the matter. </p>
<p>“Technically.” Pico answered, plopping down next to him and went to stare at that same hole, his gun tapping against his knee. </p>
<p>“ ‘Technically?’ ”</p>
<p>Pico glanced over at Keith without turning his head, then groaned and covered his face with his free arm. It took a few silent pauses for him to finally speak up. “Remember when I told you I can’t let this shit go?” He was referring to the gun. “This shit right here… it keeps the bastards away. Sorta. Every time I shoot one, another comes back the next day. Fuckin’ annoying..”</p>
<p>Keith gripped onto his own knee, trying to connect dots together from old conversations.. Which he quickly realized were barely about Pico at all. “Like.. psychos? Or people sent to kill you? Cops, even?”</p>
<p>“Voices.”</p>
<p>“...huh?”</p>
<p>Pico leaned forward, his view now to another old bullet hole on the floor, staring at it with empty eyes. “When I was young, my school had a shoot-out. Shit happened out of nowhere. One minute, you’re raising your hand to answer a math question, the next? Literally everyone but yourself got shot in the head at LEAST.” A pause. “I don’t know why I was left alive there. Did the shooter miss? Did they want to leave someone alive to tell the tale? Fuck if I knew.. All I knew is that I had to get out of there..” Pico held the gun up, lazily waving it around. “But not without killing that motherfucker first.”</p>
<p>Keith was stunned into silence. He had never imagined Pico would go through something traumatic like THAT. That would explain why he never wanted to go into his early life, how he just brushed away questions like that. He learned how to handle a gun young, and he used it so much that it just seemed like a toy in his hand..</p>
<p>Or perhaps a security blanket.</p>
<p>“I got out of there and dealt with what I had to. Happy end right? I lived.” Pico scoffed, hitting the gun softly against his own head. “Sike. Now I hear voices randomly. Askin’ for help, or begging me to kill them. Wondering why I lived and they didn’t. Fuckers sometimes ask me to make out with them, that they always wanted a boyfriend or some shit.” He chuckled at that, but it clearly wasn’t a happy one. “They won’t leave me alone, Keith. It has to be the people that died. The ones that got killed by that shooter. The ones that <em>I</em> killed. They won’t go away. They talk, they touch.. Keith, they fuckin’ TOUCH me sometimes. Isn’t that fuckin’ freaky?? You know you’re by yourself, and someone is just touchin’ your damn <em>hand</em>??” </p>
<p>It took a moment for Pico to realize he was crying, since he believed that a damn delusion covered his vision in order to make it blurry. Keith wanted to rub his back in comfort, but he didn’t want Pico to believe that was a ghost trying to touch him. Keith felt completely useless, only able to listen to Pico’s pain and fear that he kept within him for so long. Not even when they were together did Pico share this with him… When they were together…</p>
<p>“So that’s what you meant..” he mumbled, his voice low as to not startle the other, “when we broke up..”</p>
<p>“.....”</p>
<p>“... when you weren’t sure I was a real person.”</p>
<p>. . . . . . .</p>
<p>“... you are, right..?” </p>
<p>Pico’s voice wavered, borderline desperate to get an answer that sounded true. Both his hands gripped his gun now, holding the top to his head, almost giving the illusion that he was praying. </p>
<p>“I didn’t just imagine you with some random chick, right? And that purple fuck really sent me to kill you before? You all happy and touchy and good shit.. Please tell me you’re not from my brain, Keith. For the love of god, I don’t want another hallucination. Please be real.. Be fuckin real, I can’t-..”</p>
<p>Pico didn’t get a verbal response. </p>
<p>What he got was a tight hug.</p>
<p>Keith had pulled Pico into himself, squeezing him as if someone was trying to steal him away. Pico’s head rested against the other’s chest, Keith’s hand rubbing against his scalp as if to soothe him. The other arm wrapped against his waist. The force of the hug caused them both to lay on the couch, somewhat uncomfortable for being so sudden. Pico’s hand trembled at the gun trigger, mind racing of this being actually real or the worst illusion yet.</p>
<p>“I’m real,” Keith finally spoke, “I promise I’m real. Please believe me. I’m real. Amelia’s real. We’re both real.”</p>
<p>Silence. Unsettling, creeping silence.</p>
<p>Until the gun hit the floor, and Keith’s shoulder was met with a trembling hand.</p>
<p>This was real. This was real.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Because he was finally warm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, I only know briefly of Pico's School, so if the description here isn't how it went down, that's my b</p>
<p>But I'm having fun writing this, and I'm probably gonna have 1 or 2 more chapters out by the end of today, so let's keep it going!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So that’s what he’s been holding in for so long…” Amelia said, pity washed over her expression. “And you never knew, huh?”</p><p>“Not a thing. When we broke up, he just said he wasn’t sure if I was real or not, and that was all I got.” Keith sighed. “It bothered me for so long, but I never got an answer from it, so I had to give up.. Until now, I guess.” </p><p>“I always had a feeling that Pico had a hard childhood, so I never pried, but still.. Poor guy.” Amelia reached over to pet his head, her smile weak. “I guess that would understand why he became.. This.”</p><p>This, as in Pico asleep on top of Keith. For an hour now.</p><p>Keith wasn’t upset nor attempted to shove Pico off after the initial hug, but his body had fallen asleep from the body weight, and, well.. He had to pee. He called Amelia over for help, explaining the situation along the way. Pico still didn’t budge an inch, he was knocked cold.</p><p>“Ok, let’s try to get you out of there without waking the baby. Easy now.” Amelia reached over to grab Pico’s shoulders, slowly pulling him up without trying to disturb him. He was very light for someone his age, which filled Amelia with a mother-like worry. Keith also helped by holding him up, wiggling out from the hold until he landed on the floor, which wasn’t that far from the couch thankfully. </p><p>Keith adjusted himself before looking back and seeing Amelia take his spot, sitting down and placing Pico’s head on her lap. “Hey hey hey, what’s that about?”</p><p>“Consider this getting even for having him fall asleep on top of you. You’re a comfy pillow.” Her mouth smiled pleasantly, but her eyes glared daggers at him, making him squeak. “I just want him to rest more, even you must’ve noticed his ridiculous eye bags.”</p><p>“True.. ok, be right back!” Keith rushed further into the apartment, looking for where the bathroom may be. He wasn’t actually upset, and he knew she wasn’t serious. After what happened, a pointless fight would be… y’know, pointless.</p><p>Amelia turned her focus to Pico, who was still sleeping as soundly as ever. Probably because he hasn’t had proper sleep in god knows how long. Her fingers began running through his hair, surprised at how soft his ginger hair was. Her hand brushed through his hair, making sure to keep any loose strands away from his peaceful face. He looked so innocent and vulnerable, compared to his usual serious and cocky expressions.</p><p>She continued this for a few more moments until she noticed Pico’s hand twitch, hearing a low mumble under his breath. She was able to see his eyes slightly open, but he still appeared more dazed and asleep than awake. His hand waved a bit and reached up to touch her hand, Amelia not pulling away, just waiting to see what he would do..</p><p>Her curiosity was answered by him pressing her hand against his cheek and smiling. “Warm…”</p><p>Seeing Pico’s completely different side shocked Amelia, but she wasn’t at all disturbed or off put. Instead, she began rubbing her thumb against his cheek, earning peaceful murmurs and other sounds of approval. He also rubbed his other cheek against her lap, his body curling up more together as if to get closer to her touch. She couldn’t help but giggle at the sight, comparing him to a sleepy puppy.</p><p>“Did he wake up yet?” Keith called out, but was immediately shut down with a “SHH!”, making his own “puppy ears” droop, as if he did something wrong. He walked closer to them, kneeling down to see Pico’s calm expression, quietly whistling in surprise. “I’ve never seen him like this.”</p><p>“Did you two never take naps together? Or spend the night?” Amelia asked, seeing Keith shake his head.</p><p>“He always felt the need to be alone. We were together, but I guess not really..” he shrugged, reaching over to get another loose strand from Pico’s face. Pico immediately grabbed it and hugged his hand, trapping Keith yet again. “Holy crap.”</p><p>“He’s adorable, isn’t he?” Amelia mused. Keith pouted, but she patted his head. “Not like you, but c’mon. Look at him.”</p><p>“I am, I know, I guess..” Keith kept pouting, but even he couldn’t deny it. “He finally looks happy… like, ACTUALLY happy.”</p><p>It was at that moment that Pico finally began to stir, twitching a bit and straining his eyes open. He was surrounded by warmth, it felt so nice and new… but BECAUSE it was new, he had to figure out what the hell was going on. His vision cleared and stared at dark familiar eyes, which also had a sheepish smile on that dumb face. His eyes widened and his body quickly sat up, almost headbutting Amelia’s chin (good thing she had quick reflexes). He turned to see the pretty girlfriend, who waved good morning, but the shock scared him off the couch, hitting the floor head first. “FUCK!! Ow…” </p><p>“Are you ok??” Amelia reached over to help him up, but Pico smacked her hand away, scrambling to sit up and assess the situation. </p><p>Amelia was here now. He was talking to Keith earlier, rambling about something. He knocked out at some point, since he doesn’t remember anything. Why did he knock out though? Why was he on her lap? Where was he earlier? Wasn’t Keith… wait, was he laying on Keith???</p><p>“Bzzt. Earth to Pico.” Keith grabbed Pico’s head, giving him a slight shake to make him focus again. Pico blinked in silence, then slapped his hands away, but this time didn’t try to get away. “How’re you feeling? You slept a good while.”</p><p>“Slept…” Pico groaned, rubbing his now forming headache. No way he slept, it actually felt good. Almost refreshing, if he didn’t wake himself up so violently. “Wait… really? I fell asleep..?”</p><p>“Yup.” Amelia answered, moving closer to the side of the couch that was closer to the fallen Pico. “Keith called me after you fell asleep on him. You looked like a baby, it was so cute~”</p><p>“Don’t call me cute!” Pico’s face flushed red, raising his hand to threaten her with.. Not his gun. His gun was still on the floor. “Dammit, this sucks.. Forget everything that happened here!”</p><p>“No way.” Keith bluntly spoke, forcing Pico to look at him again. “You finally told me what was bothering you, and you’re gonna tell me to forget it? Hell no.”</p><p>“Hell yes! You didn’t have to know jack shit!” Pico tried to fight out of Keith’s hold, but he wasn't letting go, not this time. There was that warmth again, the kind of warmth that threatened to burn through Pico’s skin… but it was better than the piercing cold. “You didn’t have to know anything! It was just my bullshit, not yours..”</p><p>Someone grabbed Pico’s hand in a firm yet comforting hold, and it took him a moment to realize it was Amelia. She, too, had a determined expression on her face. “You’re not alone anymore, Pico. We’re not your enemy. We’re your friends.” She left the couch to sit next to him, holding his one hand with both of hers. “We have never thought poorly of you, even when you were sent to kill Keith. You can come to us for anything.” She smiled her usual pleasant smile, but this was the first time it actually tugged at Pico’s heart strings. “We’re real, aren’t we? So it’s fine… you just have to let us in.”</p><p>The apartment complex was left in cold silence, save for the slight breeze coming from outside. Pico felt like this was some sort of trap, like somehow, somewhere, people were going to jump out and kill him in the worst ways possible. It’s not that he didn’t trust these two, but after keeping to himself for so long, it really couldn’t be this easy to just… accept help, right? There was a side of him just screaming at him to just shove them away and threaten them to forget everything. Just forget all of this. This wasn’t normal. Even though normal wasn’t good, this wasn’t normal.</p><p>He hated feeling this vulnerable.</p><p>Pico didn’t have the strength to give a proper response, and although Amelia was patient, Keith wasn’t. He crawled over to go behind Pico and wrapped his arms around him, giving his stomach a big squeeze before settling into the hug. Pico squirmed and cursed at him, but Keith didn’t budge. “I’m not letting go until you accept our help.” Keith simply stated, hiding his face behind Pico’s back. </p><p>Pico tried to fight it, he really did, but this kind of hug felt familiar. Back when they went out, Keith liked this kind of hug a lot. He liked spooning. It felt.. Nice.. </p><p>Amelia noticed this as well, and she scooched closer to climb onto Pico’s lap, hugging both of them as well. He was successfully trapped, and he should’ve shaken them off, but he seemed lax. As she ran a hand through his hair like earlier, he subconsciously moved his head to the hand, confirming her suspicions. </p><p>“Pico, when was the last time you were held like this?”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>“.... since me and Keith were a thing.”</p><p>Keith’s head peeked up. </p><p>“Did you miss this?”</p><p>Another pause, this one longer.</p><p>“Do you like it?”</p><p>“. . . . . . .”</p><p>A nod.</p><p>“Why didn’t you say so before??” Keith whined, squeezing Pico;s stomach again, earning him a knock on the head. “You never tell me anything, dammit! If you wanted this kinda attention, you could’ve said so!”</p><p>“Are you dumb? No fuckin’ way I would ask that!” Pico grumbled, but immediately loosened up once Amelia ran a hand across his cheek.</p><p>“Why not?” she asked in genuine curiosity, making his face flushed.</p><p>“Because.. You guys are a friggin’ thing!” Pico waved his arms around, as if that would better explain to the couple that they are, in fact, a couple. “Even if I did want this, why would I ask you two to do anything..?”</p><p>“Because we care, you idiot!” Keith answered with confidence. “Yeah, I love Ami, and Ami loves me, but we can still care for you too! We have history! I wouldn’t leave you behind for nothing!”</p><p>“Besides, do you want to know a fun fact?” Amelia grinned sneakily before continuing, “Keith tells me he misses you sometimes, and that he would go out with you again, if you wanted both of us~”</p><p>“A-Ami!! No!” Now it was Keith’s face to turn red, shaking her to try and pay back for what she just said, despite shaking Pico in the process. Well, it was true, he did miss him like that, but he never planned to say it out loud like that! Not that she was upset by it, nor did she doubt his love towards her after learning that. </p><p>“I can’t do that.”</p><p>Pico’s sudden response put a halt in the couples’ playfulness, all the attention focused on him. He was looking away to the side, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. “I don’t think I can be a couple thing with you guys, if that’s what you’re driving at. I can’t ruin what you guys got going on. It’d be fucked.”</p><p>“But I said-!” Keith wanted to rebuttal, but Amelia stopped him. She knew Pico had to say more, so Keith relaxed a bit.</p><p>“... but I guess… this thing? This whole..” he waved his arms around again, pointing at them hugging and petting him, “whatever the hell… I’ll admit it, it’s different. And not even a bad different.” he sighed, leaning against Keith in defeat. “It was the first time I actually slept good, and I’m not touching cold shit anymore. It’s like… finally. Finally I know you guys are not just some puppets in my brain.” a sad chuckle left his lips, which seemed to try and form a smile. “I don’t even know what the hell I’m saying anymore, but this right now? Well.. I like this. I like it a lot. You guys are on top of me, but I can fuckin’ breathe for once..”</p><p>Everyone was left in silence for a few moments, Keith and Amelia staring at each other in awe. This was the most Pico had ever spoken EVER. With a silent agreement, they both laughed softly, and kissed Pico on each cheek. He jumped at the sudden kisses, his eyes darting between the pairs in confusion.</p><p>“So what you’re saying is,” Keith hummed, “is that you selfishly want our love and attention without being weird about it? Sounds pretty gay, if you ask me~” Keith expected a hit again, so it didn’t hurt as bad once it came right on his noggin. </p><p>“What Keith SHOULD’VE said,” Amelia flicked him as well before smiling innocently at Pico, “is that we want to take care of you, Pico. We don’t have to be in love romantically to care for each other. So..” She kissed his cheek again, “if you allow it, please let us take care of you.”</p><p>Pico fell into silence yet again. Was this real? It had to be, because none of the fake shit had ever been good to him. They were both smiling, both holding him with assurance, both so full of warmth and life..</p><p>Pico leaned more comfortably against Keith and held Amelia close to her, letting that answer their request.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really happy to get some support from you guys on this, makes it well worth it to write something that's pretty self-indulgent</p><p>I have no idea how far this will go, but I'll basically update whenever I get a good plot idea for a chapter &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4 (NSFW)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should just have this be a kiss session or full blown porn, but here we are</p><p>It's 1 am right now, I should actually go to bed now</p><p>Thanks for the support once again, I didn't expect to get this many views so quickly!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For someone who fought so hard to not get too close, Pico seemed to make himself perfectly comfortable with the new situation.</p><p>Since their last conversation, both Keith and Amelia stayed true to their word, keeping Pico close company almost everyday. Somedays, it was both of them with him. Others, just Keith. The rest, just Amelia. There were also days that Pico just wanted time to himself, mostly out of respect for the original couple, as well as for some privacy of his own. </p><p>The voices still came around, although they didn’t feel as frequent as before. Sleeping alone were the worst times for him now, since he was by himself with his brain, and he was hardly tired when he wanted to be. The couple suggested he called them, and they would talk until he eventually fell asleep, but it wasn’t quite the same as physically being there.</p><p>For the past three days, he only shot one bullet at the wall. There were four other attempts, but they were stopped by either Keith or Amelia. </p><p>Pico cried a bit every time.</p><p>Their relationship stayed the same for the most part, just with added touches and holds. When Pico and Keith rambled about new games and bets, Keith would swing his arm around the other’s shoulders, or squeeze him with a tight hug. When Pico was listening to Amelia’s stories, he would rest his head against her while she played with his hair, sometimes with his hands. When they were all together, they cuddled together in a pile, taking turns on who would get the “Royal Spot”, which is just between two people. </p><p>It felt so natural, like it was meant to be this way the whole time. Like it was rehearsed years before it finally came to play.</p><p>The only thing that still felt like uneasy territory to Pico was kissing. He was getting used to the pecks on the cheek and the playful kiss on the hand, but every once in a while, one of them would kiss somewhere different, like the back of his neck or his exposed shoulder from a loose shirt. It never ceased to startle him and turn his face red, which is probably why they did it whenever they could. Those bastards. </p><p>He could only blame himself though, since he only ruled out “No kissing the lips”. The lips felt like personal territory, and the only people that should kiss on the lips are Keith with Amelia. But damn, were they affectionate.</p><p>It became an especially slippery slope once he actually started to CRAVE it. It was embarrassing as hell before, but now, he mentally waited for them to give them a kiss in a different spot. When Keith hugged him from behind, he waited for him to go on his toes to lean up and kiss his neck. When Amelia brushed his hair, he waited for her to lean in and kiss his ear. When it didn’t happen, he would unintentionally let out a whine, which they, of course, notice, and proceed to tease him about it.</p><p>Not once did he kiss them back.</p><p>--------------</p><p>“RAP BATTLE~~!!” Keith cheered, holding up a fresh beer bottle like it was a trophy, a pink hue complimenting his wavy smile. </p><p>The trio decided to spend a date at Keith’s place, drinks and snacks already prepared with a cute attempt at some sort of pillow fort. Of the three, Keith was the lightest weight, considering he was already feeling good after just 2 beers, which made it pretty entertaining for both Pico and Amelia. Until it didn’t, because Keith was challenging Pico.</p><p>“Whoever wins, gotta do what the winner says! .. no wait, the LOSER has to do what the winner says! Yeah, that’s it.” Keith looked too proud at fixing his own mistake, earning a giggle from Amelia and a snort from Pico.</p><p>“Yeah no, you’re laughin’ more than you’re speakin’ normally.” Pico took a big swig of his drink, almost spitting it out when Keith practically jabbed his finger at his chest. </p><p>“Oh please, I’m not drunk yet! Just nice.. And I’m the best rapper out there! Right, Ami??”</p><p>“Yes you are, according to you.” She entertained him, and it was enough to boost his ego.</p><p>“Exactly! So rap me, Pico! Pleeeease??”</p><p>Great, now he was begging. </p><p>Pico let out an exaggerated groan and downed another bottle, clearly wanting to get at least tipsy himself, then tossed it to the side. “Alright alright, be ready to get in a fuckin’ dress once I’m winner!” His signature cocky grin stretched across his face, Keith followed suit. Amelia simply went to her smartphone and shuffled through her music, finding a simple yet catchy beat to sing along to. </p><p>“3, 2, 1, Go~!”</p><p>-----------------</p><p>Pico won, 2-1.</p><p>Yup, they did best 2 out of 3, taking a break between rounds to get some extra drinks in their system. Keith ended up drinking more than he could handle though, causing him to garble the last couple of notes at the very end of the third round. Pico hyped up his own victory, while Keith cried into Amelia’s lap in defeat. </p><p>“I’m not the best rapper anymooore! Please don’t leave me, Ami, I love you too muuuch!” Keith whined, looking up at her with the biggest and most genuine puppy eyes he could make. Amelia only laughed and squished his cheeks together, making him do funny faces instead.</p><p>“Hey hey HEY!!” Pico snapped at the couple, demanding their attention, “I won the battle, so that means YOU have to do what I say! Get over here!” He pointed down at the spot in front of his feet, towering Keith with such an authoritative stature. Keith mumbled and slipped away from Amelia’s lap, sitting on his knees in front of the ginger with a pout on his face. He was going to make Keith kiss his feet or something stupidly weird, wasn’t he?</p><p>It took a few moments of silence before Pico plopped himself down on the floor, his face turning deep red as he let out a huff.</p><p>“I want kisses.”</p><p>. . . . . . Oh.</p><p>“Huuuh? That’s nothing new nor embarrassing!” Not that Keith WANTED to do something embarrassing, but that felt a bit out of left field. He got greeted with a bonk to the head.</p><p>“The loser has to do whatever the winner wants, right?? And that’s what I want! I want.. Kisses..” saying it again was more embarrassing than the first, seeing as how Pico couldn’t look at Keith in the eyes. “No lip kisses still, but, y’know.. Everywhere else. Anywhere else. Not just cheeks or hands. I want more.” Pico glanced over after he finished explaining the request, hoping it didn’t put Keith off..</p><p>Wait.. was he drooling?</p><p>“YES!!” Keith exclaimed, tackling Pico with such glee, setting straight to work on riddling his face with kisses. Pico wanted to yell at him to stop tackling him already, but his words got tangled in his throat once he felt Keith’s lips there. His lips felt wet and a bit chapped, but they were the nicest pair of lips that grazed his skin. Pico couldn’t help but hide his flushed face behind his arm, feeling Keith’s lips travel around his neck, shoulders, collarbone.. </p><p>Oh god that was a suck.</p><p>Keith sucked a bit on his shoulder. </p><p>Pico’s body tensed, but he couldn’t find the strength to push Keith away. It felt good, too good. Keith’s eagerness was leaving Pico weak underneath him. He got so lost in feeling the kisses, that he didn’t even notice a shadow looming over him, taking his hand to their own lips. Pico forced himself to look up to see Amelia, whose face expressed loneliness. She kissed at his palm a few times, before trailing down his arm and leaned closer to his face. </p><p>“Can I be a loser to?” </p><p>Before Pico knew it, both Keith and Amelia were drowning him in sensual kisses, wandering hands feeling around every curve on his body. His body felt like it was on fire, being engulfed by heat by both Amelia’s soft plump lips and Keith’s hungry lips. Amelia focused on his top half, already littering his neck with hickies and even soft nibbles, while Keith went even more adventurous and kissed his now exposed stomach, raising his shirt higher to reveal more skin. Pico almost wanted to stop him, because his body was ugly. He was scarred with old bullet and knife wounds that would never heal, there’s no way they would like that..</p><p>Except this was Keith and Amelia, and they didn’t give a shit.</p><p>Once the shirt was raised and both of them saw the wounds, they both made a silent agreement and began kissing each scar, caressing whatever they weren’t focusing on at that moment. Pico was losing it underneath them, trying so hard to hold back his moans and pants, to little to no avail. He had never experienced anything like this before, yet it felt like these two were professionals at pleasuring. How many times have they done this to each other before? Would they be even better if they were 100% sober? How far were they going to go?</p><p>Fuck, he was rock hard.</p><p>. . . . . .</p><p>Fuck, one of them touched it. </p><p>Pico gasped as he felt a pair of lips press against his clothed boner, unable to know who actually did it. Forcing himself to look, he made eye contact with Keith, staring at him with a hungry expression. He looked like he wanted to go further, but Amelia had stopped him. She leaned closer to Pico and kissed his ear, whispering softly, “Can we go further, Pico? Can we make you feel better?”</p><p>God, why did anything she said sent a tremble down his spine?  </p><p>If Pico was rational and not on fuckin’ fire right now, he would’ve stopped them. But they both looked ready, and lord knows he was ready. So he nodded frantically at them both, watching Keith slowly pull down his sweats and AGAIN kiss at the clothed boner. Amelia gave him another kiss on the neck before crawling down to Keith’s level, kissing at his hips further and further down, slipping off the boxers that restricted his member for oh so long. The cold air sent a chill through his body, yet their warm and moist lips only worsened the shiver. Amelia focused more on his inner thighs, immediately leaving marks to compliment the ones on his upper half, while Keith went straight for the source, kissing and licking the thick rod like it was candy. </p><p>Pico couldn’t hold back his voice anymore, his breathing becoming heavier as his hips bucked at Keith, his body desperately wanting more than just some cute kisses. Keith noticed this and held his hips open, taking a long lick from the bottom of the shaft to the tip… before taking at least half of it into his mouth at once. Pico let out a strangled cry, twitching at the new wet heat engulfing him, wanting more of that heat. He felt Keith slowly bob his head in a steady rhythm, rising and falling while fitting a bit more in his mouth every suck. He tried so bad to thrust his hips out of instinct, but both Keith and Amelia were keeping him down, Amelia leaving fresh hickeys around his thighs and hips to add to the pleasure. It felt good, better than good, amazing..</p><p>But the cold air suddenly hit him again, causing him to whine…</p><p>And then the heat was back again, all at once.</p><p>Pico moaned out again, peeking to see that it was Amelia sucking him off this time. They switch roles just then, now Keith back on his upper body. Amelia was sucking him off like a pro, moving at a steady slow pace while using her tongue to massage his member more. When Keith was there, he moved at a quicker pace, sucking and bobbing like he was trying to jerk him off with his mouth. </p><p>Both of them were going to drive him crazy.</p><p>The pleasure was becoming too intense now, Amelia having his cock hit the back of her throat, and Keith sucking at a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. Both of Pico’s hands reached to grab at their heads, moaning loudly into Keith’s ears while bucking into Amelia’s mouth like no tomorrow. He could barely let out a warning before his hips gave their final thrust, coming right into Amelia’s mouth. His grip wasn't strong on her, she could’ve pulled away, but she chose not to, instead keeping still and letting him empty his load into her mouth. What felt like an eternity only lasted for a few seconds before his hips gave out, his body weak and tired from the whole experience.</p><p>The last thing he remembered was seeing Keith and Amelia kiss one another, swapping his own cum between their perfect lips.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>”One grand up front. You’ll get the rest once you get the job done. Bring the head back, and I may just leave an extra tip, just for you.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>”And if I say no?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>”Then you’re my new doormat.”</em>
</p>
<p>.. Fuck owing favors.</p>
<p>Pico glared daggers into his phone from the text exchange with an old client, slightly hoping it would actually kill him on the other side. It didn’t, so he laid back onto his bed and let his phone drop from his hand to the ground, flashing the conversation back in his mind. </p>
<p>Kill this random fuck as a final job, then never hear a word from the client again.</p>
<p>Being a hitman was nothing new, but this one in particular had very annoying targets. Pico’s fulfilled a total of 7 jobs for him, every single one prepared to be hunted down, waiting for him. They never won in the end, but he was never back home without some fresh new scars accompanying him. To be honest, the last target almost succeeded in killing him, but he managed to pull some bullshit out and won.</p>
<p>With whatever strength he had left, he called a distant friend to pick him up, as both of his legs were broken at the time.</p>
<p>It was after that that Pico didn’t want to deal with this man’s dirty work, but because he ended up botching up some “important” paperwork, he had to do this last request. If he didn’t mess this up, he wouldn’t hear from him again. Whether that was true or not, well..</p>
<p>One way to find out.</p>
<p>The phone buzzed, startling Pico for a moment before he picked it up. Amelia. She was inviting him to karaoke in the big city, and that she was able to borrow her dad’s car to get there. He sucked his teeth in response, now even more annoyed than before. Truth be told, he had been a bit on edge for the past 2 days, haven’t been able to spend time with the couple because of their work life and family matters. They promised to make it up to him once they were free, and he believed them, but it didn’t stop him from getting random cold sweats and constant fidgety movements. </p>
<p>He really wanted to see them. </p>
<p>
  <em>”Sorry, got a job of my own right now.”</em>
</p>
<p>------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Apparently this target knew they would have a hitman against them at some point, because Pico was later sent a text by his client about a letter. It contained a specific location and time, just inviting Pico to try and kill them. He guessed that made things easier, going straight to the point like this, but that only meant this guy was confident. A complete bitch to kill. </p>
<p>Pico shot a squirrel to get himself ready. The blood hardly bothered him anymore.</p>
<p>It was the dead of night now, the location right in the middle of a garbage dump. Perfect for hiding away bodies to rot. Pico checked his phone to see his messages spammed out the ass, Keith demanding he get out of there. He was ahead of schedule by about 30 minutes, and he knew he could get this done quickly, but thinking back to the last target, he decided to text Keith his location before turning off his phone. </p>
<p>He didn’t want them anywhere near the fight, but he might end up needing their help if he actually loses a limb this time.</p>
<p>Giving himself one last pat down to familiarize where his bullets and back up weapons were, Pico pointed his signature Uzi up and shot at the air, having it be a signal that he had arrived. He didn’t feel like playing hide and seek. Luckily for him, what looked to be the client came out from hiding behind a large trash pile, casually walking into view like he was lost in a stroll.</p>
<p>Pico shot right at his face.</p>
<p>The target immediately dodged.</p>
<p>“Damn, not even an introduction? Have some more class.” he tried to taunt, only to be cut off by another bullet shot. </p>
<p>“I’m not here for conversation.” Pico growled, shooting another bullet. “I just need you to die so I get paid.” And possibly meet up for a date, but he didn’t dare say that out loud.</p>
<p>The target scoffed and took out his own guns, firing right at Pico’s feet. He easily jumped away behind a trash pile, giving his gun a quick reload before rushing back out. He was never one to wait for an opportunity to kill, but rather shove his target to a corner and take advantage of their inability to run. That reckless behaviour is why he always came back with scars, but as long as he was able to see another day, it didn’t matter the price. </p>
<p>“Pico, Pico, Picoooo! You’re too crazy for a simple paycheck!” this guy never shut up, did he? Dodging his bullets like it was a nerf gun war. “You’re doing all this for a man who's too lazy to clean up his own messes! Isn’t it tiring to be someone’s maid over and over again?” </p>
<p>Pico managed to grab the other’s arm and slammed his gun on it, forcing him to drop his weapon. That didn’t stop him from talking, only to grin more widely.</p>
<p>“You survived this long, surely you can convince the world to let you live a decent life, right? All you gotta do is beg for it!” he laughed at his own remark, annoying Pico by the second. Pico shot at his throat, missed again, and had his own arm grabbed by the other. This guy looked all scrawny, but he had way more strength than Pico expected, trying to crush the ginger’s wrist. “You killed off 7 other people for that rat bastard, you think he’s gonna leave you off the hook after me?? Don’t be stupid!” </p>
<p>This guy did his research.</p>
<p>“Fuckin’ stalker.” Pico spat in his face and stomped his foot, forcing himself back to regain composure. “I don’t give a shit about whatever you wanna bitch about. I just want some damn sleep at this point, so just die already.” He pointed his gun at him, ready to pull the trigger again--</p>
<p>“Sleep with Keith and Amelia, right?”</p>
<p>Pico twitched in response.</p>
<p>This fucker… really did his research. </p>
<p>“A lowlife wannabe rapper and uptight pretty princess..” he continued, walking closer to the frozen Pico. “You should be with them right now, shouldn’t you? You WANT to be with them. And I’m sure they want to be with you.” He grabbed at Pico’s gun, slowly lowering it down. “Yet here you are, away from your lovers, sent here to die. Ain’t that unfair?”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>A bullet shot right in his foot. </p>
<p>The target screamed in the sudden burning pain, dropping down to the ground to hold his wound. Cold metal slammed into his head, and his eyes made sudden contact with pure rage, Pico’s expression stone cold yet full of unbridled emotion.</p>
<p>“You’re pissing me off on purpose..” Pico murmured, voice shaky with seeping anger, “and now I just wanna kill you ‘cause you succeeded. Happy now?” He pointed the gun at the man’s arm, shooting twice in quick succession. Another scream, a further fall… and a stomp right on the bastard’s head. “You wanted a slow suicide, huh? You wanted to be tortured, you fuckin’ masochist? This is what you wanted?!” </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>A shot to the other leg.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>A shot to the other foot.</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Another shot to that same foot.</p>
<p>The pain was unbearable, the trash-infested dirt rubbing into the open wounds as Pico stomped down onto the other’s shot limbs. So badly he wanted to shoot his head in. So badly he wanted to find a random pipe and beat him until he was nothing but mush. So badly he wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. So badly he wanted to kill him again and again and again and <em>again and again.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>Again.</em>
</p>
<p>“Shut up already! You don’t know a damn thing!”</p>
<p>
  <em>Again!</em>
</p>
<p>“You piece of shit!!”</p>
<p>
  <em>AGAIN!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>”SHUT THE FUCK UP!!”</strong>
</p>
<p>Pico shot his gun in the air, desperately wanting that voice to listen to him for ONCE. Screaming, demanding, begging for the voices to shut up for once. His vision blurred into a frenzy, shooting at the air wildly with reckless abandon. He couldn’t pinpoint the voices, they were everywhere. Next to his ear, above his head, below his feet, right by his chest, crawling on his back…</p>
<p>
  <strong>”LEAVE ME ALONE!! PLEASE!!”</strong>
</p>
<p>The target smiled through the pain, watching his killer cry in hopeless abandon. He knew it. It worked.</p>
<p>If pushed far enough, Pico would lose himself to his own fucked up mentality.</p>
<p>Reaching for the once abandoned gun with his best hand, he struggled to keep a steady hand, aiming directly at the poor boy’s skull. “Don’t worry… I’ll free you from your nightmare, little baby Pico~..”</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>BANG!!</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>-    -   -   -   -   -   -   -</p>
<p>Two bullet shots went off at the exact same time.</p>
<p>One went right through the target’s brain, stunned disbelief being shown in his eyes for only a moment before his eyes rolled over, life leaving his body all on its own.</p>
<p>The other shot was from Pico’s gun, pointed the exact opposite way of where his target was. At that moment, it seemed like the voices finally ceased to speak. Pure silence, what he was begging for this whole time, what should’ve made him relieved..</p>
<p>But he couldn’t enjoy the silence. He didn’t dare to. </p>
<p>Not when Keith was staring at him, frozen in place, blooding spilling from his neck.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>....<br/>This felt a bit of a mess</p>
<p>But it was happy for too long, I had to fix that</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pico couldn’t sleep a damn wink for the next week.</p>
<p>He tried so desperately to think of that night as one horrible nightmare. Just an extremely fucked up fake hallucination. There was no target, no client, no shots, no dead squirrel, no nothing.</p>
<p>
  <em>”KEITH!!!”</em>
</p>
<p>No, he couldn’t imagine that. Amelia’s pain was all too real.</p>
<p>Pico never should’ve sent that text. He never should’ve told them where he would be. He should’ve just ignored them completely, lied that he was too tired to go out, and just die at the garbage dump. That’s it. </p>
<p>He would’ve rather died than see Keith collapse in front of him, blood forming a growing puddle underneath him.</p>
<p>Pico couldn’t remember the rest of that night. After he heard Amelia’s cry, he ran away like a monster was coming to eat him alive. He lost himself into the garbage dump, the voices screaming into his ears, <em>”MURDERER!! MURDERER!! MURDERER!!”</em>. He cried for them to stop, only for the voices to pierce his eardrums even more, until he lost it and probably banged his head onto hard concrete.</p>
<p>That’s what he figured happened anyway, after waking up with blood seeping out of his new head wound and on the now cracked concrete wall. </p>
<p>Pico didn’t know how long he was out for, only that it was still nighttime, and the only thing left behind was the corpse of his target and his client. He was examining the body to ensure it was dead, and once he saw Pico, he applauded him for his tremendous success.</p>
<p>He received a bullet straight through the head.</p>
<p>It was a miracle that he was able to make his way back home with a fucked head, but he never left his apartment ever since that night. He spent the rest of his time in bed, staring at the ceiling with empty bloodshot eyes. Sometimes, he was aware he was crying. Sometimes, it just happened. He only ever went up to use the bathroom, the first few nights full of puking episodes. It wasn’t till the third day that he finally found the strength to eat something, but it wasn’t till the fifth that he could eat without barfing it right out again.</p>
<p>Pico’s phone was still turned off from that night, he didn’t dare turn it back on. He knew it would be full of old spam messages from Keith, as well as new hateful messages from Amelia. She must completely hate him by now. Why wouldn’t she? He shot her damn boyfriend in the fucking throat. Him having a mental breakdown was no excuse. </p>
<p>He knew he just lost the two most important people in his life that night, and there was nothing he could do about it.</p>
<p>Well, perhaps kill himself, that was a fantastic option. He had his gun right there, right in his hands. He could do it, be free from it all. Escape the pain and torture. </p>
<p>
  <em>Click</em>
</p>
<p>…… </p>
<p>Out of bullets.</p>
<p>----------</p>
<p>Y’know, if Pico wasn’t a lazy sack of shit, he would’ve grabbed the bullet case from his dresser and done the damn job already, instead of just staring at it.</p>
<p>Yes, laziness. Not extreme depression and choking despair.</p>
<p>His mind went back and forth between different methods, something to maybe require less moving. He never thought this hard before in anything, which would explain why he was so fucking stupid. Nothing sounded like an easy task however, leaving him to stare away into the empty void like a thrown away doll.</p>
<p>His brain was so preoccupied, he didn’t hear his door open, nor the footsteps that entered his bedroom. He didn’t even register the new figure in front of him at first. He had to blink and look up, making eye contact with one beautiful lady.</p>
<p>Amelia.</p>
<p>“Go away..” Pico mumbled, waving his gun at her, “My gun isn’t loaded, damn fake image-..”</p>
<p>A sharp hand made harsh contact with his face, immediately making him jump up in shock. Amelia’s hand stung from the hit, a tear already forming from her eye. </p>
<p>The tear wasn’t about the slap though. </p>
<p>Before Pico could speak, she shoved herself onto him and squeezed him in a tight embrace, burying her face into his shoulder. Despite everything happening all so sudden, the familiar warmth seemed to be enough proof to show Pico that she was real, but that just made him feel sick all over again. </p>
<p>“He’s ok..” she whimpered softly, “Keith, he… he’s going to live..”</p>
<p>-----------------</p>
<p>The last time Pico was at a hospital was when he was born.</p>
<p>No matter how many gun fights he got into, no matter how many gang wars he found himself in, not once did he ever go to the hospital. He never had the money for recovery anyway, so what was the point? And who knows if officials would come up and explain why he was hurt? He’d just get himself arrested.</p>
<p>This wasn’t about him, though. This was about Keith.</p>
<p>It was a silent ride between Amelia and Pico, not a word spoken after her last statement. Explanations can happen later. They needed to see Keith now. HE needed to see Keith now. Amelia could hate him all she wanted later. </p>
<p>Keith is what mattered right now.</p>
<p>And he was behind room 202.</p>
<p>Pico was the one in front of the door, but his hand was frozen over the doorknob, hesitating like it was covered in poisonous thorns. The voices were whispering in his ears again, whimpering and hissing and making him wish he was deaf right now. Amelia snapped him out of it though, holding his hand with her own, two hands now trembling together. He looked at her with genuine fear, causing her to force a smile to help him relax.</p>
<p>After what felt like an eternity, they opened the door together.</p>
<p>There Keith was, sitting up and staring out at the window, the breeze seeping out from the cracks and brushing against his hair. His attention soon turned to the door, eyes widening as he saw his lover and friend walk inside, a smile spreading across his face. He opened his mouth to call for them… but nothing came out, his expression suddenly full of pain. </p>
<p>Amelia was the first to rush to his side, leaving Pico by the door to process everything. Keith’s neck was wrapped in bandages, he had eye bags that could almost compete with Pico’s, but other than that.. He really did look ok. Perhaps 2 pounds skinnier. Black roots were peeking out from cyan blue hair. </p>
<p>So badly he wanted to jump onto the bed and hug him. </p>
<p>“That night..” Amelia spoke to break the silence, squeezing Keith’s hand to keep herself steady, “when you sent that message, we drove as fast as we could to you, Pico.. By the time we got there, we could already hear you screaming..” Her voice trembled, Keith rubbing her arm to try and support her. “We thought you had gotten hurt, so… daddy keeps a gun in the glove compartment, and we rushed to save you..”</p>
<p>Pico remembered a bit clearly now, her holding the gun and shooting right at his target’s head. A clean shot.. Probably. Everything still looked blurry to him. </p>
<p>“We… we were so lucky that you didn’t hit anything vital.. I was able to get to a hospital before Keith lost any more blood, but..” Amelia’s eyes started to well up with tears, Keith’s comfort doing nothing to help her. The lump in Pico’s throat was strangling him at this point, unable to let out even a peep of noise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Keith won’t be able to speak, for who knows how long..”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cold, dead silence.</p>
<p>Not even the voices wanted to say anything now.</p>
<p>Pico turned his attention back to Keith, who struggled to keep a weak smile on his face. This wasn’t a delusion, this was the final piece of evidence to prove what an insane mentally unstable fuckup he was. Keith’s pride and joy was his voice, singing and rapping about whatever tune came to mind. But now, he couldn’t make a single noise without hurting himself.</p>
<p>Because of him, Keith couldn’t laugh at his own lame jokes.</p>
<p>Because of him, Keith couldn’t whine for attention like a puppy.</p>
<p>Because of him, Keith wouldn’t be able to call out his name, say he loved Amelia, say he cared for Pico.</p>
<p>“I… I’m sorry…”</p>
<p>No response. Nothing but dull, depressed eyes staring into Pico’s soul.</p>
<p>“I.. I never should’ve texted anything..” Pico’s mouth trembled into a crazed smile, his view slowly dropping down to his own feet. “I never should’ve told you where I was. I-I should’ve just kept my damn mouth shut, and let whatever happen, happen..! Had I not been a dumbass, y-you would still be able to talk..! You would still be laughing with Amelia! I-I..” His already weak legs finally gave out, hitting the cold floor and hurting his knees. But that didn’t matter. His pain didn’t matter. It should’ve never mattered.</p>
<p>“Had I not EXIST, YOU WOULD STILL--”</p>
<p>It all happened in a flash of a second.</p>
<p>Keith’s signature tackle.</p>
<p>It happened so suddenly, even taking Amelia off guard, Keith practically jumping out of his bed to hold Pico tight. The rush made his head woozy, and his neck burned from just that, but he didn’t regret it. He regretted nothing. He hugged Pico with all his might, tears spilling out and trailing down his own trembling smile. </p>
<p>It took a moment for Amelia to join as well, bursting into tears of her own, holding both Keith and Pico as if she would be dragged away into an abyss of darkness. Her voice cried for both of them, crying for both incredible pain and rushing relief. Neither of them were letting go of Pico, they wouldn’t dare. They didn’t want to. They needed him, WANTED him, just as much as he needed and wanted them.</p>
<p>But not as much as he wanted to cry.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Y'know, if I was a jerk, I would've left it at that last chapter and updated the next day, but even I hate cliffhangers sometimes.</p>
<p>Even I had to know how things would end up!<br/>No I'm not bullshitting the story as it goes on, but it's happening</p>
<p>BF Keith has become a mute, sad boi is sad</p>
<p>Let's see if I can pump out one more chapter for the night, thank you SO much for the support! You guys are the best~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite losing his voice to a gunshot, Keith appeared stable enough to leave the hospital within two weeks of recovery. He had to stick to mainly drinking liquids and eating meals in small spoonfuls, but he was sure to not strain his vocal cords nor do anything that would cause pain to his neck. He was given a notebook and pencil to write down whatever requests he had, as well as to answer questions that the doctor asked from time to time. Amelia had come to the hospital alone to pick him up, giving him many heartful kisses to make up for lost time, so happy to see him up and about. </p><p>When Amelia wasn’t visiting Keith, she would visit Pico from time to time herself, the atmosphere still feeling a bit uneasy between them. To be honest, she was never angry or upset at Pico for what he did. The only anger she ever felt was out of her lack of reaction, unable to rush and pull Keith away from danger. Watching him fall in slow motion before her eyes made it difficult to sleep at night sometimes, and continuing to remember the scene of her clutching his trembling body and frantically rushing to get him to the hospital didn’t help matters either. So she went to Pico, sitting in silence next to him, holding his hand as a way to keep both of them at ease, even for a bit. </p><p>He shot a bullet at the floor once. She didn’t stop him. In fact, she held his hand that held the gun, pointed at the fresh hole, and shot it like a bullseye.</p><p>“Daddy taught me how to use one, for protection.”</p><p>Only once did she kiss Pico’s cheek, causing him to flinch, as if her lips just burned him. They sat in silence after that, Pico looking away from her. </p><p>“I don’t hate you,” she would say time and time again, “we don’t hate you.”</p><p>He would never acknowledge her verbally, only with a soft squeeze of her hand. </p><p> </p><p>The couple drove out the hospital’s parking lot and headed straight to Pico’s place, the radio playing whatever was considered popular. Amelia occasionally glanced at Keith, who appeared to be rereading something he wrote in his book. If you ignored the bandages on his neck, anyone would think he was the same old Keith. Maybe he was, but the car ride definitely felt more uneasy from the silence. </p><p>She realized it was Keith who spoke the most out of the two, since she couldn’t think of anything to say.</p><p>Once they made it to Pico’s place, Keith was quick to unbuckle his seatbelt and try to leave, but the door remained locked. He looked over to Amelia with concern, reaching over to rub her shoulder as if to ask “What’s wrong?” </p><p>Amelia sighed, giving the steering wheel a tight grip before relaxing. “Keith..” her voice wavered a bit, “Do you… really not hate Pico for what he did to you?”</p><p>Keith’s eyes widened at the question, instinctively wanting to yell “No!”, but that only caused his throat to strain. Amelia immediately reached out to him, cursing at herself for making him feel that pain. He rubbed at his throat a bit before putting his focus back at his girlfriend, shaking his head in response to her question. </p><p>“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered, trying to collect her own thoughts properly before speaking, “I shouldn’t’ve made it sound like you SHOULD hate him. I don’t blame him for what happened, he clearly wasn’t in the right mental state. But..” Her reached up to softly touch his neck, running her thumb across, “because of what happened, you lost your voice. I know Pico regrets it so much, so..” she wasn’t even sure herself what point she was trying to drive at. This was still too difficult to process herself.</p><p>Keith smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the lips, cupping her face within his hands. He didn’t have to speak with words to assure her that he was fine, that he wasn’t mad at Pico, nor had any ill intent inside him. He gave her another soft kiss before going to his book, flipping to a random page and pointing at a short phrase he wrote out:</p><p>
  <em>I’m still alive, aren’t I?</em>
</p><p>------</p><p>Keith and Amelia made it up to Pico’s apartment door, knocking on the door a few times to let the other know they were here. There was no response for a couple of seconds, so Amelia dug into her pocket to pull out her own set of keys, shuffling through until she got the one that opened Pico’s apartment. They learned rather quickly that Pico couldn’t hear the door if he was having an episode, so they insisted on getting a key for his place, so they could come in to help. She slowly opened the door, peeking in first to see if Pico was indeed freaking out.</p><p>There Pico was, mindlessly clicking away at his empty gun by the couch.</p><p>Keith spent no more time waiting, kicking the door open the rest of the way and walking straight to Pico and squeezing him from behind. Pico yelped in surprise, ready to swing his gun at the random hugger, but immediately froze as the realization hit. Even though it was confirmed empty, Pico still threw the gun far away from them, refusing to take any kinds of chances. Keith only let the other go for a minute to climb over the couch, then resumed his hug.</p><p>Pico didn’t react with a hug back, only sat in awkwardness and let Keith have his way.. Which only made Keith pout. He leaned close to kiss Pico on the cheek once, twice, three more and counting. He wanted to reassure Pico that he was forgiven, that everything turned out ok in the end. </p><p>Pico grabbed Keith by the shoulders, forcing him back to breathe. </p><p>“Keith..” he mumbled, glaring at him with an uneasy stare, “cut the shit. Stop acting like nothing happened this whole time.” Keith’s expression turned serious, which somehow made Pico even more uncomfortable. “Just.. just stop fuckin’ pretending like everything’s ok, ok?? ‘Cause I know it’s not! It can’t be ok..”</p><p>Keith looked over to Amelia and motioned her closer, who quickly rushed over to his side. He pulled her down so she was sitting down next to him, and he forced the two to cuddle close to him before taking out his notebook, flipping through until he got to the page he wanted. He softly elbowed Pico and pointed at the page, wanting him to read it. </p><p>~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~<br/>
<em>I bet you’re going to blame yourself for this whole mess, and you know what? You kinda are. We didn’t want you to go out there and get yourself hurt. I knew you’d win, but we never wanted you to get more hurt than you already were. But what’s done is done. And sure, I might not be able to beat you in rap battles anymore, and you won’t be able to hear my amazing jokes anymore, but I don’t care. I’m still here, just like before. And since I almost died, that just makes me want to spend even more time with you. Both of you. I want to kiss both of you more. I want to hold both of you more. I want to love you both until the end of time.</em></p><p><em>I’m alive, aren’t I?</em><br/>
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</p><p>Keith waited with whatever patience he had left until he was sure both of them were done reading, before slamming the book shut and kissing Amelia square on the lips again, then put his thumbs on top of Pico’s lips and kissing that same spot, emulating a kiss on the lips without actually doing it. He then proceeded to hold both of their hands, switching back and forth in kissing them as well. He wasn’t looking directly at Pico, who hadn’t responded to his words, uneasiness finally sinking into him now. He leaned against the other, silently hoping that things can go back to normal.</p><p>Voice or no voice, Keith was still Keith. Pico was still Pico. Amelia was still Amelia.</p><p>He loved his Ami. He loved his Pico. </p><p>That night, he thought he lost them both. But he didn’t, because he didn’t want to lose them. He did his damndest to live, and behaved like a good little boy to heal his throat up the best it could to get out of there. </p><p>Keith would truly feel dead if he lost them.</p><p>It was then that his cap was pulled off, and was replaced with Pico’s cheek. Familiar warm arms slowly wrapped around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Just when Keith let out a mental sigh of relief, he felt it.</p><p>A kiss. Right on his head. </p><p>Keith quickly looked up in complete awe, Pico already looking away to hide his reddening cheeks. He then looked at Amelia, who was finally smiling a genuine smile, and he pulled her down so that she was on top of them both. If he could laugh, he wouldn’t be able to stop for the rest of the day. </p><p>Goddamn, it was great to be alive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaand that's it for today! I know that angst came out of left field, but it was worth the ride imo</p><p>I'll probably head into fluff territory again, with another smut chapter somewhere in the middle. Like I said, I don't have a planned ending for this, and I update as I think of stuff, so who knows how long this will go on? </p><p>Hopefully when the hype for funkin' stays strong</p><p>I may also draw particular scenes from each of the chapters in the future as well, I have an art twitter that's a bit slow, but it'd be cool if you could check that out too: https://twitter.com/SHSLPUNKARTIST?s=09</p><p>Share your thoughts on what you think so far, and if you have any suggestions for a short chapter, lemme know! Thanks again!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was an honest to god miracle that Pico “missed” his shot on Keith, because it was later confirmed that it was possible that Keith’s voice may return within the next few months, only if he was given proper rest and did nothing to strain his voice. The bandages were eventually thrown away for good, a nasty yet somewhat healed scar left behind to remind them of the accident. Keith tried to lighten the mood by claiming it was a badge for surviving, an “I lived bitch” kind of mark. </p><p>Pico couldn’t stop staring at it. </p><p>It wasn’t anything as bad as his own scars, but this was the first time he saw a scar with stitching. Since he never went to the hospital himself to treat whatever wounds he got, all he could do was wrap his own shit in cheap bandages and hope he didn’t clock out from loss of blood. It always worked out in the end, so his own scars never bothered him. </p><p>Yet he couldn’t figure out why he was so fascinated with Keith’s. </p><p>One thing was for sure; whenever the couple came to visit, Amelia was sure to unload Pico’s gun and keep the bullets on her person, only returning them after they left. This wasn’t out of her demand though, but Pico’s. He wasn’t stupid enough to not notice Keith or Amelia flinch when he held his gun out. When a voice came by and he shot at it as usual, he saw Keith grip the couch tighter than usual. Keith wanted things to go back to normal, but it wasn’t easy like that. </p><p>Pico couldn’t blame him, he didn’t trust himself either. He trusted Amelia most with his bullets, since he learned she can hold a gun with special caution. Part of him felt a bit of attraction with how calm she was to hold the weapon. Casually holding his hands and removing the gun from him so she can unload it, returning it with a kiss on the forehead.. </p><p>He would let her hold onto the weapon entirely, but the cold metal handle kept him sane, no matter how many times he tried to deny it.</p><p>-------</p><p>“Give me a hug, Pico.”</p><p>Pico stared blankly at Amelia’s open arms, the request swirling around his brain that could not process it to save his life. </p><p>She didn’t look at all like she wanted affection or cutesy cuddles. No, she looked serious. So serious, it was almost scary. It was just the two of them right now at Keith’s place, because Keith had to run a quick errand outside. A favor for an old lady neighbor. Pico was about to start playing a game on his console, until Amelia took the controller away and placed it on the bed, now holding her arms out.</p><p>“Uh… why?” Pico questioned.</p><p>“Because Keith wants to.” Amelia didn’t skip a beat answering his confusion, even though it only confused him more. She sighed, her arms lowering back to her side. “I know it’s impossible for everything to go back to a happy normal life after what happened, but it’s because of that time that he especially wants to be closer than before. He’s scared that you’ll start to distance yourself again, like when you two were dating..” Not once did Pico ever see Amelia actually nervous, fidgeting in her seat and unable to keep eye contact with him. “He even dealt with my parents’ difficult-ness to spend more time with me, and he’s always tried to avoid that after challenging them. He was the one to lose his voice, yet it’s us who he tries to comfort the most..”</p><p>“... or maybe that’s just how he’s comforting himself.”</p><p>Amelia snapped her attention back to Pico, who was staring at his gun this time. “Keith isn’t that selfless. I know him too. He knows how to play it off like he’s ok, but there was a time where he didn’t let me go for at least an hour, after I got home from some bullshit fight.” He scratched the back of his head with his free hand, looking up with dejected eyes. “Like me and this gun, he held me to keep himself sane. So that’s probably the bigger reason…”</p><p>Amelia started to tear up as the truth settled in. Pico wanted to smack himself for making her cry.</p><p>But she quickly shook her head and smacked her cheeks, forcing herself to focus. “Then… then that’s all the more reason for us to comfort him! He needs us, Pico! He’s always been there for us, it’s only right that we return the favor!”</p><p>Pico forced a short chuckle at her remark, the tip of his gun tapping at his forehead in a way that almost looked painful. “I can’t comfort him like you can. I’m the fucker that hurt him in the first place! There’s no way I can help anymore than just being around you guys-”</p><p>“You haven’t even tried!” Amelia cut him off, suddenly grabbing his wrists with trembling hands. “Keith would have left you by now if he truly didn’t care about you! He writes about you when I’m alone with him! You’re building a wall between you and him again, just like before-!”</p><p>“AND WOULD THAT BE A BAD THING?!”</p><p>Pico couldn’t control his composure, not anymore. He violently pulled his arms away from Amelia and grabbed her arm, squeezing so hard that it was bound to leave a mark. “I don’t care what sappy lovey-dovey BULLSHIT he writes in his damn diary! He has you, that alone should be enough for him! But noooo, he doesn’t think about nothing, and BOOM! I shot him in the FUCKING NECK!!” </p><p>
  <em>Murderer</em>
</p><p>“Y-You weren’t thinking straight! It doesn’t matter!”</p><p>“That’s the fuckin’ problem with the both of you! It doesn’t matter ‘cause YOU don’t wanna think about the bad shit, when we all know that bad shit is ME!”</p><p>
  <em>Murderer Murderer Murderer</em>
</p><p>“If we don’t think, then you don’t listen! You never listen to us when we talk good about you!!”</p><p>“BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING GOOD ABOUT ME, GODDAMMIT!!”</p><p>
  <em>Murderer Murderer Murderer Murderer Murderer Murderer Murder Mur--</em>
</p><p> </p><p>None of them heard the door swing open, nor the running steps behind them.</p><p>The only noise heard that silenced everything was the hard <em>crack</em> of Pico’s jaw.</p><p>Keith came back, and he was far past pissed.</p><p>Pico didn’t think. Only retaliated. </p><p>Nobody thinks anything anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Nevermind, we're not gonna be happy quite yet, Pico still has to sort his own shit out</p><p>I love me some emotions</p><p>This felt a bit shorter than usual, I'm a bit in and out of it today. I should still be able to get another chapter out tonight though, since you guys give me a lot of motivation to keep going</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are we ready to talk things out now?”</p>
<p>Neither boy gave a response.</p>
<p>Great.</p>
<p>That fight lasted longer than any of them wanted it to, only stopping because Amelia literally forced herself into the middle of them, causing one of Pico’s frantic punches to hit her face. Her cheek had already begun to swell after they stopped, but it didn’t compare to the black eye Pico got, nor the cut on Keith’s lip. Both of their bodies ached from both the fight itself and the exhaustion afterwards. </p>
<p>Both had faced complete opposite ways to each other, Keith scribbling in his book and Pico tapping the floor with his gun. Amelia walked away for a quick moment to grab some water bottles and an ice pack from the fridge, but only Keith accepted the water. Pico didn’t budge. Too busy burning a hole through the ground with his eyes.</p>
<p>Well, eye. </p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Amelia sat down to the ground and placed the pack on her cheek, flinching a bit from the cold. Her concerned eyes glanced at Keith first before focusing on Pico. “Pico..” her voice unintentionally cracked, making Keith freeze for a second before continuing his writing, “we never know what goes on in your mind.. The last time you opened up to us was to explain about your gun, and we respected that! We didn’t want to pry into matters that you felt too uncomfortable or afraid to talk about.. But..” </p>
<p>So badly she wanted to hold Pico’s hand, but as soon as her hand was raised, he turned away from her as well. She felt a jab of guilt hit her heart, so she lowered her hand and continued/</p>
<p>“What can we do to prove to you that you can trust us..? We aren’t strangers, nor are we enemies. Please, just.. Tell us what you want..”</p>
<p>The last time someone begged like that, Pico had a loaded gun slammed into their head. </p>
<p>“... you two..” he finally spoke up, though it only came out as a low and forced mumble, “are even stupider than me..” his body started to curl up on his own, his knees becoming his new headrest as he hugged himself tightly together. “I’m a fucked up freak that somehow beats death over and over again. I’m a psycho that kills people for money. I use you two just for touches and kisses and any other ways of showing someone love. I’m using you both to forget about my own bullshit. But that’s me.. I’m my own bullshit, for fuck’s sake..” Pico was practically clawing at his own legs at this point, wanting to hold himself so tight that he would just pop like a balloon. </p>
<p>“You guys can’t be happy with me, so stop trying so hard.. Just give up already..”</p>
<p>Keith slammed his notebook right on Pico’s head. </p>
<p>The book hit a hidden bruise, which caused Pico to yelp in pain, but when he turned around to prepare for another fight, Keith had already faced away from him, holding a ripped paper that said “Read where the pen is”. He turned to look at the notebook, which was now on the ground, and picked it up with a grip that made it seem like it was a treasure on fire. Amelia had no idea what Keith would’ve written down, but she didn’t dare move an inch closer to see. </p>
<p>Keith’s words weren’t for her right now. This was between him and Pico.</p>
<p>Pico groaned as he opened the book to the intended page, knowing damn well it wasn’t going to change anything. Immediately, he noticed a few wet stains on the page, his breath getting caught in his throat. </p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~<br/><em>If all you wanted was a punch in the face, you should’ve asked. Maybe that was the kind of touch you wanted this whole time. Or felt like you needed. Or deserved. I don’t know anymore. I never know. Because you don’t say shit, and it pisses me off. Ami always told me not to butt into your personal business, but why not? Why am I never allowed close to you? Why was I never allowed close to you?</em></p>
<p>
  <em>You think you’re the only mess around here? Ami’s parents want me dead. They hired my ex to kill me. I think there’s even a demon after me. Is it like your voices? The bad shit that makes you believe you’re this irredeemable piece of garbage? </em>
</p>
<p><em>I love you, Pico</em><br/>~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Pico gritted his teeth at seeing that sentence, and Keith must’ve known it would cause him to retort, because as soon as he heard Pico close the book and open his mouth, he slammed that same ripped paper into his face. He didn’t want to hear a damn word until Pico finished reading. </p>
<p>Pico didn’t want to. He was…</p>
<p>Scared.</p>
<p>Keith forced the book open and jabbed his finger on it, turning away yet again. Pico couldn’t respond, his voice betraying him, so he gave in and picked the book up again.</p>
<p>~~~~~~<br/><em>I love you, Pico.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>I never stopped caring about you. Both you and Ami are my world, whether you want to be or not. I’m probably a greedy guy for wanting you both, but that’s the way it is. I’m never going to stop caring about you. You’ll have to kill me if you want me to stop caring. And I know you care too. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Even during that fight, you tried really hard not to touch my neck.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But just because I know you won’t kill me, doesn’t mean I want to control what you want to do. So, if you really want us out of your life . . . </em>
</p>
<p><em>T he n  go  h ome</em><br/>~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>The words trailed off into a trembling messy state, delivering the final blow to Pico’s emotional state. Fresh tear stains joined the ones that existed on the page, the messy scribbles forming into a black jumbled up mess. Although his vision was blurred, Keith’s writing formed perfectly in his mind, flashing over and over, some even imagined in his own voice, before he lost it. </p>
<p>“.... why….”</p>
<p>“. . . . . . .”</p>
<p>“Why can’t you just hate me..?”</p>
<p>“. . . . . . .”</p>
<p>“Everything would.. This whole thing would be easier if you just hated me.. Goddammit, why do this to yourself..?! Why me?!”</p>
<p>Pico practically collapsed onto Keith’s back, holding and grabbing whatever he could to stabilize him. It wasn’t working. He was sobbing right on the other’s back, crying out the tears he forced himself to swallow down all this time. Years worth of tears. Years worth of pain. </p>
<p>“I.. I’m the selfish one.. I did so much horrible shit.. I hurt so many people.. I hurt <em>you</em>, I hurt <em>Amelia</em>, but I… I..”</p>
<p>“.. I don’t want to go home…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact: I write these fics with different peaceful music in the background to help me focus, so this time, it was sad piano music with added rain effects</p>
<p>Guess who cried at their own fic hahahahaha</p>
<p>Is this what everyone wanted? Cuz it's what I wanted to</p>
<p>Sad boi hours</p>
<p>That's all the focus I have for tonight, see you tomorrow! Thank you all!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>”What do you mean, this isn’t gonna work out?? Did I do something wrong?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No, just.. Look, it’s me, not you, so just-”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“What did you do?? I don’t get it!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“You don’t have to get shit! Just shut up, that’s it!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Just talk to me, Pico! You’re just leaving me?! What the fuck?!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Stop talking, dammit! Shut up!!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Pico!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pico firmly believed that after that shitty breakup, Keith would officially give up on him.</p>
<p>Once he saw him with Amelia, singing for her sake, laughing and kissing, that was it. Keith moved on.</p>
<p>He underestimated that blue hair loving fucker.</p>
<p>He overestimated his own strength, his ability to close everyone off without wishing they would stay with him, no matter what.</p>
<p>He became vulnerable, weak, lonely, scared, cold…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After hearing Pico’s desperate request, Keith managed to stand up with Pico still holding onto him, then helped him onto the bed. Pico looked like a confused lost child, only loosening his grip so that Keith can maneuver around easier, but refusing to let go because of the fear of losing him somehow. Keith crawled over the other and took the far right side of the bed, waving to Amelia to let her know to come as well. Even though all she could do was watch, she was quick on her feet to join them, taking the left side of the bed and wrapping her arm around both of them the best she could. </p>
<p>They laid there in silence, the only noises heard were some sniffles and deep breaths from Pico and Amelia. Keith as well, but he was trying really hard not to make a sound at all, period.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before they fell asleep, the exhaustion from everything finally too strong to ignore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The sun just started to rise when Pico woke up, groaning at his bruised body and tense muscles. Keith and Amelia were still hugging him, fast asleep, like nothing bad ever happened. </p>
<p>Keith used to snore, but he wasn’t anymore. Pico missed that. </p>
<p>Pico missed… this.</p>
<p>He gazed over to Keith’s resting face, noticing the faint dried tears on his cheeks. Pico made both of them cry, yet it was him that apparently made them feel better. It was him they needed to make them feel safe, happy, excited even. Wiggling his arm a bit to free his hand, he reached over and softly rubbed Keith’s cheek, the soft skin warming his hand instantly. He stared at the cut lip, the mark already beginning to heal as a dark red mark. </p>
<p>Before he could stop himself, Pico leaned in and gave Keith’s lips a soft kiss.</p>
<p>The first kiss he had ever given him there. Given anyone, for that matter. </p>
<p>It was… amazing.</p>
<p>So amazing, he found himself starting to kiss all around Keith’s face. His cheek, his forehead, his ear, his lips again.. He finally understood why the couple loved kissing so much. The part of his brain that kept telling him to stop, that he was going to wake them up, got overpowered by Pico’s sudden urge, pressing himself closer to the other as he continued to shower him in kisses. He felt Keith shuffle underneath him, slowly starting to wake up, but even that didn’t stop him. </p>
<p>Arms wrapped around him, holding him in a tight embrace. </p>
<p>Keith kissed him on the lips without warning. Pico returned the gesture. </p>
<p>Slipping out of Amelia’s sleepy hold, Pico climbed on top of Keith and continued where he left off, kissing him with a burning passion he worked so hard to hide. Despite being asleep just a minute ago, Keith returned that passion with his own, running his hand behind Pico’s head to hold him closer. Soft kisses turned stronger, Pico sucking on the other’s bottom lip and tasting fresh blood from the cut. Neither of them cared. </p>
<p>Pico felt something wet slip into his mouth. He flinched, but accepted it regardless. </p>
<p>It was Keith who had to break the kiss, silently panting as drool dripped from his reddened lips. But Pico didn’t stop, he didn’t want to. He started to kiss lower, going down to his neck, making sure not to kiss too hard on the scar. He could hear Keith softly pant, wondering if that alone was hurting him. He forced himself to stop for a moment, waiting to see if Keith would push him off. </p>
<p>He got a strangled weak whine in response.</p>
<p>God he was adorable.</p>
<p>Pico continued where he left off, making love to his neck and slipping a hand under Keith’s shirt, grazing on some hidden bruises, and massaging all around his body. Keith was slim and always wearing baggy clothes, but he could feel the toned muscles underneath. His lips wandered down to a spot between his neck and shoulder, sucking on the skin with earnest, Keith’s body trembling underneath him. </p>
<p>“Careful, his neck has always been his weak spot…”</p>
<p>The voice startled both of them, both looking over to see Amelia’s still sleepy expression, smiling at the sight. Neither of them know how long she had been awake for, but there was one thing clear to Pico right now.</p>
<p>He leaned over and kissed her on the lips as well.</p>
<p>The kiss caused her to let out a short squeak of surprise, but she didn’t shove him away in protest. Just like Keith, she returned the kiss back in full, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Like a dog on a leash, Pico crawled off of Keith and climbed on top of her, kissing her with absolute hunger. It wasn’t long before he was kissing and feeling around her body as well, more eager to suck and nip around her neck and shoulders.</p>
<p>That’s when he felt Keith’s hand creep under his shirt, fondling his body like a squishy soft pillow, and began kissing behind Pico’s neck with his own desires in mind. Amelia’s hands joined in as well, hands running down his back and delicately tracing her fingernail around, causing his body to shiver and his voice to falter. Pico rubbed, kissed, sucked, licked, squeezed whatever he could between the two, but it didn’t feel like enough. He wanted more. It felt so good, too good. </p>
<p>He never wanted this to end. Never ever ever…</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>“Mmmmmmyeah. That’s definitely a mark. Hoo boy.” Amelia hummed as she examined her neck with the bathroom mirror, letting out a small sigh. “I should have some concealer in my bag, let’s see…” she turned and opened the door, jumping in surprise once she saw Keith standing there, hand raised like he was about to knock. She giggled and hugged him tight, rubbing her good cheek against his own. “How’re you feeling? Good?”</p>
<p>Keith grinned and nodded in response, giving her a tight squeeze in return. Eventually they loosened the hug to hold each others’ hands, getting a proper look at one another. Keith’s eyes trailed down to her body, where she was only in her bra and panties. His grin suddenly turned into a frown, cheerfulness turning grumpy. He pointed at a mark by her lower hip.</p>
<p>He knew that mark wasn’t made by him. </p>
<p>“Oh, stop trying to act all jealous.” she squeezed his cheeks in response, before poking at all the hickey spots on his shoulder. “I should be the fussy one, considering you guys were making out while I was sleeping. It’s impolite to make out while your girlfriend is resting literally right next to you.” Well, more like fucked up, but they obviously had a more open relationship than just boyfriend and girlfriend.</p>
<p>Keith’s pouting changed into embarrassment, and he hugged her again to hide his face in her chest, half hiding, half just wanting to be close to her boobs. Amelia laughed and patted his head, kissing it as well. He looked up at her again with a smile, leaning closer up to kiss her properly on the lips. </p>
<p>“C’moooon, I have to take a piss alreadyyy..” a grumbly voice whined behind them, Pico purposely falling into them for a hug of his own, almost taking them all off balance. Keith silently laughed and elbowed him in the stomach, in which Pico responded with a pinch on the butt.. Then Keith retaliated with a squeeze on the cheek.</p>
<p>“You wanna go again, pretty boy?? I’ll beat you again!” Pico yelled, pulling Keith into a headlock, smiling his signature shit-eating grin. Keith took the challenge and pushed him into a wall, fighting back for control. </p>
<p>“Guys, stop it! The neighbors are going to complain!” Amelia ordered, following the boys around as they got lost into their random wrestling fight. The boys were hopeless, messing around like a bunch of grade-schoolers.</p>
<p>So much for getting breakfast early.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's about TIME shit got got happy again, am I right?? lol my b</p>
<p>This is super fun to write, I'm glad everyone else is enjoying this as much as I am</p>
<p>This felt a little "and they lived happily ever after", but I still have a few ideas up my sleeve. </p>
<p>Tbh this was almost straight up make-up sex, but I'll probably save that for another chapter~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11(NSFW)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ok, so how the fuck does kissing… work?”</p>
<p>“...... h u h?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After taking almost an hour longer to get ready, the trio finally made it to a typical breakfast diner, enjoying their first meal of the day… which was at 1 pm. Pico and Keith practically scarfed down their breakfast, both choking at the same time, both recovering at the same time.. Was Amelia babysitting two baby boys at this point? </p>
<p>It wasn’t until Pico finished chugging his orange juice that he asked that question. Keith spat out his own orange juice, and Amelia stopped drinking hers to stare hard at him, her expression perfectly saying, “Are you fucking serious right now”. </p>
<p>“You literally made out with both of us and more just a few hours ago. What do you mean, how does kissing work??” she had to place her cup down and figure out what Pico had to have meant. He must’ve meant something else, right? Messed up his sentence?</p>
<p>“That doesn’t count, I don’t know what the hell I was doing.” Pico has never looked so serious about a stupid question, because it wasn’t stupid to him. “There’s no way you just, y’know… DO IT. Right? Y’gotta move a certain way and do somethin’ to make it a proper kiss?”</p>
<p><em>R U DUM??</em> , Keith slapped his book rapidly, like it was some urgent news of the sun exploding. Pico took offense to that and snatched the book, tossing it behind his head. Keith wanted to strangle him right then and there.</p>
<p>“Pico, dear, sweetie..” Amelia reached over to cup his hands, her smile full of pity. “There’s no hidden secret or fancy technique to it. Whatever the mood is at that moment, that’s how you want your kisses to be. If it’s a cute moment..” she leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, “you give a cute kiss. If it’s flirty..” she raised his hands to her lips and kissed them, “you give a flirty kiss. And so on and so forth. Do you get it?”</p>
<p>“Fuck no.”</p>
<p>Pico couldn’t see behind him, but Keith was shaking his hands like crazy. </p>
<p>“Ok, hmm..” Amelia had to think about this one, “how did you feel when you were kissing us earlier? What went through your mind?”</p>
<p>“Nothing. Like a ‘Jesus, take the wheel’ kinda moment.” Pico paused for a moment before hitting the table. “Which pisses me off ‘cause I don’t want Jesus making out with you guys!”</p>
<p>The book was shoved into Pico’s face again. Amelia’s brain started to hurt. It would be cuter if Pico never kissed before and asked that question. But he was good at it, VERY good at it. So.. what the fuck.</p>
<p>“Urghh, gimme a sec, I can explain this better, hold on.” he shoved Keith away, messing up his own hair to think of how he wanted to better explain his question. Neither of them rushed him, and although Keith was pissy as hell, he wanted to understand Pico better. This was a chance for possibly more affection from him, and goddammit he wanted that.</p>
<p>Pico clapped his hands together as if to signal he was done thinking, his cheek a soft shade of pink now. “I know what we did earlier. I know I was kissin’ and, y’know.. All that other stuff. But I was literally just winging it. You guys said I was really good, but I’m not even sure what exactly I did that was GOOD. I bet if I were to try again right now, I’d bite too hard and make someone bleed, or some other stupid shit..” exhaustion washed over him all over again, resting his head in his folded arms on the table. “I’ll admit that it’s fuckin’ amazing to get close like that, that’s why it bugs me so much that I’m gonna fuck it up…”</p>
<p>The trio fell into silence after hearing an explanation that actually made sense, and pretty fitting to Pico’s apparent character. Amelia and Keith looked at each other and smiled, the blue haired boy standing up again and dragging Pico out of his seat. He hesitated and tried to pull back, but Amelia was already behind him and pushing him out. </p>
<p>The meal was already finished and paid for, anyway. A bigger course was waiting.</p>
<p>-------</p>
<p>“You bastards gotta stop having these psychic-ass ideas! Don’t think I don’t notice that shit!” Pico exclaimed, trying to sound threatening, but ultimately failing as he was getting shoved into the car. His struggles proved fruitless as Keith yanked him one final time, almost making the ginger unintentionally headbutt their heads together. Amelia crawled into the back seat with them, locking the door behind her. “.. wait, who’s gonna drive the car--!” </p>
<p>Pico’s question got cut off by soft, maple tasting lips. </p>
<p>His hands were quick to grab at the girlfriend’s shoulders in order to push her off, but his attempts immediately failed as he subconsciously melted into the kiss, trying to reciprocate it as best he could. Of course, that just caused him to kiss more awkwardly, trying too hard to make it sexy. Amelia couldn’t help but laugh to break the kiss, leaning against her boys for support.</p>
<p>“Wow, you really were in some kinda mood earlier, weren’t you~?”</p>
<p>“Sh-Shut up!  Do you believe me now??” his face went beet red, and out of pure desperation, he looked over to Keith for some kind of support.</p>
<p>Keith shook his head and sighed, just like a disappointed father. </p>
<p>Asshole.</p>
<p>“It’s because you’re focusing too much on trying to be perfect, that you’re too nervous to just be natural.” she hummed as she sat back, rubbing Pico’s hands in support. “If you want to be good at kissing, you have to just go with the flow. Don’t think so hard about it, it isn’t a test.” she intertwined their fingers together, smiling so bright, making both of them blush and fall in love all over again. With her new hold, she pulled Pico carefully off of Keith and made sure he was comfy in the middle seat, before letting go and pulling Keith closer to her.</p>
<p>“Like this~”</p>
<p>In queued the kiss, their lips fitting together like perfect puzzle pieces. Keith cupped her cheek and immediately went for a deeper kiss, their tongues already dancing around together. The car filled with sounds of their passionate kissing and increased breathing, the couple putting their whole love on display for Pico, inches from his own face, from his own lips…</p>
<p>Fuck, he was rock hard. </p>
<p>He’s seen the couple make out countless times with just each other, but he never understood how that could excite him like this. Maybe because he could only imagine how exhilarating that feeling must be, how good they must taste, how excited they themselves were getting based on her soft pants and his low groans. It hit Pico like a truck how badly he wanted to join them before, but was too afraid to taint something so perfect with his own selfishness. He would only watch, try to hide his disgusting excitement, and pretend like it meant nothing. </p>
<p>The kiss finally broke, a thin string of saliva breaking between the couple, both their expressions flushed with lust. Their eyes screamed “I love you” to each other, seemingly just a regular make out session, until they looked over to Pico with hunger. </p>
<p>Great, now he was scared AND more horny.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nobody spoke out this time, only Amelia darted straight for Pico and kissed him again, having less control for the first time. Pico froze for a moment, but thought back to how they were just a moment ago, and slowly began to ease into the kiss. Although he had to step it up with her intensity, it wasn’t long before he was kissing her just like before, needy and longing, no other thoughts in mind. He could taste the strawberry pancakes in her mouth, but it wasn’t that that had him starving for more. </p>
<p>He caught her tongue in his mouth and forced it there, circling his tongue around hers and sucking, her high moans landing a critical hit directly to his dick. </p>
<p>Or was that just Keith’s hand stroking it through his pants? </p>
<p>…. Both.</p>
<p>Pico broke the kiss with a choked moan, struggling (and failing) to glare at Keith, who was enjoying the show just as much as the other male was earlier. This whole car was hot, too hot, yet none of them could focus enough to open any windows or turn on the ac. Too hot and bothered by just the makeout session alone. And that session wasn’t even done, Keith taking advantage of Pico’s gaping mouth by shoving his tongue inside, not pulling back even after Pico accidentally bit his tongue in shock. Pico wanted to fight for some kind of dominance, but Keith was too experienced, too strong, too hungry.. He only ended up whining and moaning like a needy bitch. </p>
<p>Before he knew it, Keith forced the kiss to stop, and Pico’s pants were being unbuckled and forced down to his knees, the mute boyfriend forcing his own down next. Pico was practically shoved down to lay on his stomach, head landing on Amelia’s thighs, the faint smell of arousal taking over his senses. Keith was excited, rubbing his own bare erection onto Pico’s still clothed ass. Amelia was excited, her legs spread the best they could as she fingered herself under her rosy-frilled panties. Pico was FUCKING excited, having such an upclose view of her enjoyment and rubbing his ass against Keith, practically whining like a bitch in heat. Pico wasn’t looking, but he heard Keith shuffle about behind him and heard some kind of bottle cap open with a <em>pop</em>. </p>
<p>They’ve done it before, in this same car. In Amelia’s strict-ass, crazy-ass parents’ car. </p>
<p>The cold liquid suddenly dripping on his bare ass caused Pico to tense up and grip on Amelia’s thighs for support, clenching tight as Keith ran his fingers all around his entrance. He had never done anything like this before, so obviously he was nervous as shit, but his body desperately wanted this as well, trying to relax so he could get something inside him. He felt the slick, cold finger poke at his hole, asking for permission to enter. He pressed himself into she leg to conceal a loud moan, getting more tense by the second, until Amelia used her free hand to stroke Pico’s hair. </p>
<p>“It’s ok, Pico baby..” she comforted, forcing herself to slow down her own pace on herself so she could help the ginger relax, “it’ll feel so good once he’s in, I promise~..” Pico was too delirious to hear her words properly, but he knew she was trying to distract him, so he decided to distract himself on her instead. He softly forced her hand out of her panties and replaced them with his mouth, kissing and pressing his tongue against her clothed pussy. She gasped at the hot breath against her, already starting to grind against him, already wanting more. </p>
<p>Sure enough, as Pico started to tease and pleasure her, his body started to loosen up on his own, finally allowing Keith to insert his fingers inside. His instincts wanted to just skip the prep and go in like a fucking dog, but he was still sane enough to know that this would be Pico’s first time, and it would hurt WAY more if he wasn’t ready. With that in mind, he slipped his finger all the way in, biting his lip as he felt the other tighten around him. He slowly circled his finger around inside, then eased another finger in once he felt Pico relax a bit more again. That’s when he actually started to thrust his fingers in and spread him out more, his boner becoming unbearable painful as he not only heard the moans of his lovers, but Pico also moving along against his fingers, trying to get them deeper inside. </p>
<p>Unable to wait any longer, Keith pulled his fingers out (earning a begging whimper in response, goddammit..), and grabbed the bottle of lube again, quickly coating his own dick with the cool liquid and aligning himself with the other. Whether he was actually ready or not, Pico was impatient, and tried to force his dick into him by pressing into him. “P..Please…” he heard the submissive male beg, looking over with a frustrated flushed face. “P-Put it in, dammit.. Please..!” </p>
<p>Keith lost it after that.</p>
<p>Pico muffled himself between Amelia’s legs again as Keith pushed himself inside the other, his own dick leaking precum from just the full feeling. It felt so goddamn weird and tight, the once cold liquid now extra heat to his insides. Keith forced himself to slow down once he got to the halfway point, wanting to fit himself completely inside before actually thrusting. He was so beyond tight, he was pretty much hurting his own throat from groaning at the feeling. Amelia stroked Pico’s hair, praising him for taking Keith in so well, forcing herself to ignore her own desires so she could help their little orange haired virgin relax. </p>
<p>Pico had to grip the base of his own dick to stop him from cumming right then and there. He didn’t want to, not yet. He can’t come from just taking Keith’s member to the hilt. Distractions, distractions… </p>
<p>He practically tore off Amelia’s panties, tongue darting right to her dripping pussy. </p>
<p>All hell broke loose after that.</p>
<p>Keith only gave him a few slow thrusts before his pace picked up, gripping onto the other’s hips to keep him steady. Pico had to hold onto Amelia’s thighs to keep himself balanced, rapidly stroking her lower lips and lapping at the juices as they came. Amelia’s once gentle pets turned into a harsh hold on his hair, her voice betraying her lack of self control, as well as her hips rubbing against Pico’s tongue for more pleasure. It wasn’t long before Keith was straight up pounding into Pico’s ass, towering over him to hear Pico’s muffled cries. Pico could hardly breathe from the intense pleasure and arousal, but he didn’t care. He wanted Keith to ruin him, wanted to eat Amelia out like a full course meal. </p>
<p>That’s when Keith managed to hit his prostate and send Pico over the edge, the orgasm he tried so hard to fight back winning the battle as he came all over the car seat, his own spit getting caught in his throat from his cry. Keith didn’t slow down his pace, he was getting close to release as well, he just needed a few more. Amelia hadn’t completely cum either, despite being soaking wet from Pico’s tongue alone. He was starting to feel the discomforts of the overstimulation, but he ignored it and focused back on Amelia, this time shoving two fingers inside her while his tongue focused on her clit. His technique was for sure rushed and messy, but it seemed to be getting the job done, seeing as how she was begging for him to keep going, don’t stop, deeper, deeper..! </p>
<p>And just like that, Keith’s animal-fucking thrusts came to a sudden halt as he slammed into Pico one last time, twitching and grabbing Pico with such intensity as he emptied himself into him. Amelia followed behind two seconds later, legs spazzing out as she came right onto Pico’s mouth, soaking the seat underneath her. Keith’s strokes were painfully slow as he rode out his orgasm, until eventually he pulled out completely, taking some cum with him. Everyone struggled to catch their breath together, recovering from their high, basking in the sweaty musk kept inside the car. It just now dawned on them at the car was uncomfortable as fuck, but they couldn’t be bothered to try and make it work between the three of them and the tight space right now. </p>
<p>Pico’s expression looked dazed, hand mindlessly rubbing her thigh as his breathing started to return to normal. Or at least normal enough that he could think a bit more clearly. </p>
<p>“Listen.. I’m.. I’m not cleaning this shit..” he grumbled, directing their attention to the new wet strains on the car seats. Amelia huffed out a small chuckle, and Keith patted his butt in response. </p>
<p>“Not by yourself, at least..” Amelia responded, getting a groan in return.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If I'm being completely honest, writing smut is probably my favorite past time.</p>
<p>This whole time, I kept thinking that my au of Pico would be the top of this situation, but nah. He looks better down there anyway.</p>
<p>TBH, I may only have a few more chapters in mind before I bring this particular story to a close, but rest assured, this isn't the last time I write about this 3TP. i already have another AU in mind for them, as well as a short chapter for a "What if" scenario</p>
<p>I'm not gonna rush to end this off quickly, but I hope you guys will enjoy what else I bring to the table soon~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over a month has passed since the accident happened. Keith’s vocal cords were still a good while away from completely healing, but his voice finally started to return, even if he did sound more raspy and quiet. When he tried to speak, it would only look as if he was just mouthing the words instead of saying it. That little hope of saying anything at all caused him to force more words out, but it just caused his throat to strain. Amelia banned him from speaking for the next couple of days as “punishment”.</p>
<p>He was able to voice out “love you” once, however, so that was enough to celebrate at the time.</p>
<p>As for Pico, it seemed as though he was getting the hang of being close to the couple, for real this time. What started off as hesitation and minimal effort, turned into taking a mental breath and going with their flow, letting them take the lead, until he was confident enough to do the same. Instead of Keith being the only one to whine for attention, it would be Pico to tackle him and demand some kind of affection, whether it would be kissing or spooning or even massaging his scalp. Instead of Amelia going to hold his hand and talk, it would be Pico to rest his head on her lap and tell her a random moment from his past, like when he accidentally caused 5 cops to trip with one lost skateboard, or when an old acquaintance tried to light a joint with his gun. </p>
<p>His schizophrenia was still a major pain in the ass, that never changed.</p>
<p>On nice days, only one or two murmurs would sweep by his ear, but he would force himself to ignore it and think about other things. On shit days, they came in swarms, consuming his space like he was suddenly thrown into a crowd in Times Square, choking him and breaking him down into tears. When that happened, he would send a text to whoever’s name came up first, usually garbled nonsense that had no coherent meaning.</p>
<p>5 minutes later, at least one of them would be there, holding him tight until he was able to breathe again. </p>
<p>They once suggested that he try and go to a psychiatrist, get some proper treatment and medication for his condition, but Pico was quick to deny it. He kept a low profile for a reason. If anyone got his general information, it could somehow leak to the authorities, and he’s sure they’d treat him like shit, as the mentally unstable runaway that he is. Yes, he almost got arrested, but he managed to escape. Those cuffs were a bitch to get off though, very faded marks still visible, if you looked hard enough. </p>
<p>The voices definitely bothered the fuck out of him, but he felt like it was worth it, in order to get assholes off his back.</p>
<p>----------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ok, so perhaps keeping a low profile still wasn’t enough to keep assholes off his back.</p>
<p>And it just had to be the purple asshole that all three of them hated. Well, maybe two hated, one tolerated. Didn’t make a difference. </p>
<p>Either way, Pico was staring glare to glare with “Daddy Dearest”, right at Amelia’s doorstep. Neither of them even bothered to pretend to be happy to see each other. Why bother? Amelia wasn’t here, and Pico never gave a shit about this guy, even when he was paid to kill Keith the first time around. </p>
<p>“What do you want?” the demon dad, Luis, demanded, not in the mood for small talk. </p>
<p>“Returnin’ somethin’ to your daughter.” Pico held up a simple pocketbook, different from the one Keith had. He held it behind his back before Luis could even attempt to snatch it from him. “I’m not gonna stay for long, so just let me through.”</p>
<p>“I’ll give it back to her.”</p>
<p>“Fat chance.”</p>
<p>. . . . . .</p>
<p>Luis suddenly let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame, an amused grin growing on his face. “To think my baby girl would get involved with not one, but two insufferable pricks. I can’t believe I messed up raising her..”</p>
<p>“I can.”</p>
<p>Pico almost got his shit kicked in right then and there, when Luis suddenly grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him up like a doll. Even though it hurt, Pico forced himself to keep his face straight, even smirking at the fact that he got a reaction out of the demon. Luis knew this, cursing at himself for getting so easily upset, and tossed the boy down, making the other grunt in pain. “Listen, I let my daughter go and do whatever she wants, but the more I see the two of you, the harder it gets to not hire another hitman to do the job you failed at.” </p>
<p>God, he just wanted to hear himself talk. </p>
<p>“Can I just give this shit back to her, or are you gonna say somethin’ actually worth a damn?” Pico spat at Luis’ feet as he stood back up, not even wanting for an answer as he “softly” shoved the older man aside. He got too comfortable not seeing that old bastard, he wanted to keep it that way.</p>
<p>“I hear the first boy toy can’t speak anymore.”</p>
<p>Pico froze before he realized it. Shit. </p>
<p>“Lost that annoying pitch by a bullet. Must’ve been music to your ears to not hear that ‘rapping” anymore.” Pico could HEAR the man grinning from ear to ear without even looking. “But it’s somewhat disappointing, I was thinking of challenging him again, now that I know what I’m up against.”</p>
<p>“... for fuckin’ what?” he didn’t want to respond, but Pico couldn’t control his actions anymore, fist starting to tremble. “Amelia wants to be with him, dumbass. You’d really make your own daughter upset ‘cause you can’t take the stick out of yer ass..”</p>
<p>“I’m not trying to make her upset, I’m trying to show her that there are way better options than a wannabe thug and <em>mental patient.</em>” Luis made sure to stress that word out, just to piss Pico off more. “And I’m gonna keep trying until she comes to her senses. She doesn’t need pathetic trash in her life.”</p>
<p>“Then how about YOU stay out of it?!” Pico spun to yell at him, immediately tensing up once he realized Luis had leaned directly over him. He didn’t falter though, teeth barred like a guard dog. “She WANTS to be with us, and WE wanna be with HER, so how about you mind your own damn  business and let her be happy, before I shut you up myself?!”</p>
<p>“Oh?”</p>
<p>… fuck.</p>
<p>Those words piqued Luis’ interests, that creepy smile somehow growing larger. “Heh, maybe you got a point there, kid. Maybe I should mind my business.. Oh wait, she <em>IS</em> my business.” Luis stepped forward, Pico fought hard not to step back. “I’m very curious as to how you would shut me up, though. With that puny nerf gun? Please.” </p>
<p>Pico’s whole body was shaking, a hand had to go into his back pocket to hold his gun. Not to pull it out and actually shoot, but to keep himself steady. As much as he wanted to unload on this asshole’s smirk, he couldn’t. It was Amelia’s father. </p>
<p>“How about I challenge you instead?”</p>
<p>Pico’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief after Luis said that. He wanted to challenge him to a rap battle, since Keith couldn’t? But.. he wasn’t no Keith level himself. He could hold his own ground, but.. </p>
<p>“If you win..” Luis continued to speak, despite Pico not answering, “I’ll leave you guys alone. I can’t promise FOREVER, but I’ll staple my mouth shut whenever I see you two. Sew it shut even.” A tempting offer indeed. </p>
<p>“... and if you win?” Pico’s voice wavered, despite his best efforts to stay strong. He didn’t like the aura this guy was giving off.</p>
<p>To answer his question, Luis reached over to grab Pico’s hand that held the gun, helped him pull it out, and hold it to Pico’s head.</p>
<p>“Then, not only do you finish the job you were assigned to do before..” killing Keith.. “.. AND have that be the end of your job permanently.” </p>
<p>Finger on the trigger, stroking it like a precious gem. </p>
<p>Verbal silence from Luis for who knows how long, versus permanent silence from both Keith and Pico..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Click.</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No bullet.</p>
<p>“Deal.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Whaaat, no daily update? I've failed my streak</p>
<p>The inactivity hasn't started, I don't want it to start yet, but I WILL say that things will be a bit slower because of my busy work schedule this week, sorry!</p>
<p>This chapter was kinda rushed, but I'm gonna make it a worthwhile ending. Not to mention that I'm already plotting out a new au for the trio, so that's exciting!</p>
<p>I also got my new pc to function properly, so I'm back to drawing as well! Please check out my twitter, I want to be active on there with art at least once a week: https://twitter.com/SHSLCOMMS_OPEN</p>
<p>See you within the week!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Daddy challenged you?!”</p>
<p>Keith could only let out a literal “beep”, but no worries. Amelia’s shout made up for probably all three of them, and Pico was the one getting yelled at. They reconvened back at Keith’s place, nobody wanting to go to Amelia’s, knowing her dad was home.</p>
<p>“S’whatever, I can beat that old bastard.” Pico tried to shrug it off as no big deal, but his body stiffened when he felt Keith grab his arms and shake him. Keith seemed mad, but his eyes were full of worry more than anything, sending a ping of guilt to Pico’s heart. “Sorry.. He was just talking SO much shit about us! Calling us trash..” he glanced at Keith first, then at Amelia, frustration building up all over again, “and actin’ like you were stupid for liking us. I just wanted to wipe that smug grin off his fuckin’ face..”</p>
<p>“I still don’t like this, I should talk to him-” Amelia reached into her pocket to get her phone, but Pico quickly snatched it out of her hand, startling everyone. “Pico..??”</p>
<p>“Don’t you dare try and call the challenge off.” His tone couldn’t be any more serious, “I accepted the challenge, so I’m gonna do it.” He smirked in his typical cocky ignorance, though it seemed more like he was trying to comfort them. “It’d be awesome when I win and shut him up for a while. That was the deal anyway.”</p>
<p>“And what would happen if you lose?” </p>
<p>Pico didn’t respond right away, his smirk left as fast as it came. “.. then we can’t see you again.”</p>
<p>Keith whispered harshly, "what?!", before going into a coughing fit, Amelia immediately rushing to his side. Pico knew they would react poorly, hence why he told the truth vaguely. He hated putting Keith's life on the line, but.. </p>
<p>"Like I said, it's gonna be fine." Pico smirked again, weaker this time, as he moved closer to the couple, reaching out to hold both their hands. "Just gotta practice some vocal warm ups, get a theme goin', and I'm set to win. I remember givin' you trouble a couple of times before, Keith, and you're the <em>rap god~</em>" he tried to tease, but Keith didn't look amused. Seeing him so serious, so worried, hugging him tight and rubbing his face against his chest… wait, when did he-?</p>
<p>"C-C'mon, you're actually makin' me nervous now.."</p>
<p>"Well.." Amelia spoke up, reaching over to rub Pico's shoulder, "it's because we all should know how Daddy can be. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to do something horrible to you. No matter how many times I talk to him and try to convince him that you guys are the perfect fit for me, he just.. urgh, so frustrating!" Her grip tightened a bit, but she stopped before she unintentionally hurt the other. "And that's just Daddy. Mama.. I don't even want to think about it. I.." </p>
<p>Without warning, she leaned forward and kissed Pico softly, genuine guilt written all over her expression. "I'm sorry for having such horrible parents.."</p>
<p>They really made it feel dramatic, and they didn't even know that their lives were literally on the line. Pico hated that he let Luis get to him, and seeing them scared like this..</p>
<p>He took a deep breath and punched the shit out of himself.</p>
<p>"Pico?!" Amelia screamed, getting cut off by Pico's sudden laughter.</p>
<p>"Sorry, you dumbasses were scarin' me shitless. Had to get myself back into shape." He grinned, blood dripping from his nose. Keith wanted to hit him for doing something stupid, but he already got hit?? </p>
<p>"I'm gonna win this. Be scared all you want, I'm gonna fuckin' win." Pico fell backwards from his spot on the ground, dragging both Keith and Amelia with him. "You guys can either help me prep for the challenge next week, or you can keep hidin' in a corner and miss the best verbal beatdown of his fuckin' life."</p>
<p>Amelia and Keith were stunned into silence, looking at each other, seemingly exchanging words again.. and then getting bonked on the head together.</p>
<p>"I said stop it with that telepathic shit already!"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-----------</p>
<p>The rap battle was set to happen a week after it was announced, and time waited for nobody. Since there was no getting out of it, so both Keith and Amelia helped Pico to the best of their abilities within the time limit.  Keith had tracks that varied between slow, fast, mixed, random, any kind of beat that Pico can keep up with. Amelia helped Pico with harmony and vocal warm ups, as well as told them any intel on what kind of beat her father was planning to use. Pico almost seemed like a natural, picking up any rhythm rather quickly and matching both high and low tones with Amelia. </p>
<p>Training could only go for so long, as the week had already ended. </p>
<p>Their battle was located one a stage, the same one Luis and Keith first battled in. Simple, with nobody but just the four around. The trio stepped to the stage together, Keith and Amelia both kissing Pico one last good luck kiss before going to the oh-so-familiar speakers. Luis made eye contact with Keith first, his hand shaped like a gun and pretending to shoot himself in the head, mocking the other. Keith growled, quickly focusing back on the speakers. The demon then looked at his opponent, his grin could not get any wider.</p>
<p>“I hope you guys had one last cuddle-fest, because we’re not stopping until I say so.” </p>
<p>So Amelia’s intel was true, it was a survive-type battle. If Pico could keep up with Luis without fucking up too much, he won. If he couldn’t, game over. The ginger smirked, spinning both his gun and his microphone in his hand. “Yeah yeah, don’t tire yourself out, old man. Don’t want ya’ wheezin’ like a dying ass.” </p>
<p>His gun was loaded. He lied to them and said it was in case his illness acted up, and he had to shut them down quickly.</p>
<p>Not another word was exchanged until the music of choice had started, already a quick pace. They both took turns singing, Luis starting strong, Pico finishing strong. Luis liked to throw in what felt like ad-lib to try and make his beat stronger, but Pico was well prepared. At first, it seemed they were evenly matched, but once the second beat started, Pico was clearly getting better. He even caused Luis to slip up once with his own beat, causing the couple to cheer him on and piss the demon right off.</p>
<p>
  <em>You’re doing it</em>
</p>
<p>Hell yeah I’m doing it!</p>
<p>
  <em>You’re so good at this</em>
</p>
<p>Of course I am, this bastard is-...</p>
<p>
  <em>You can’t let them die, right?</em>
</p>
<p>….. Huh?</p>
<p>Pico froze, messing up his turn out of nowhere. The cheering from the couple stopped in confusion for only a moment, but they quickly realized what happened. Luis didn’t quite understand why the other stopped, but his confidence boosted immediately at the sight. Amelia went to turn the music off, but Luis’ voice boomed, “Don’t you touch it!! He’ll forfeit if the music stops now!”  </p>
<p>“Daddy, no! This isn’t fair, he--” Amelia tried to fight back, but Pico let out a sound shout and stomped his foot, startling the couple.</p>
<p>“I’M FINE!!” Pico screamed into the microphone, peaking the audio so hard, it hurt everyone’s ears. His whole figure was trembling now, eyes glaring daggers at Luis the best he could. Why here, why now?! He had to win, he had to! These damn voices weren’t going to stop him! They couldn’t--</p>
<p>          <em>Let’s cheer for him, so nobody will die this time~</em></p>
<p>                                                               <em>Go Pico, go!</em></p>
<p>  <em>We love you, Pico! Don’t kill us please!</em></p>
<p>                                                                             <em>PICO PICO PICO PICO PICO PICO</em></p>
<p>. . . . . . . .</p>
<p>Why was Keith and Amelia in front of him..? And.. why were they so blurry..?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This ends tonight baby</p>
<p>I'm 100% free this weekend, so I will definitely bring more content by then</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Where did Pico learn to sing like that? He has the natural talent for it!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Right?? He knew how to sing before we even knew each other! I did teach him a couple of my own skills though, hehe~</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Of course you did, sweetie. I could listen to him for hours..</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Me too! Let’s listen to him forever and ever~ </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>… unless he decides to kill us, just like the others..</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Pico tried, he tried so damn hard to focus, to win, to make any kind of noise that wouldn’t be a cry for help. </p>
<p>But Keith and Amelia were standing right in front of him, talking like nothing was happening around them. Their voices sounded so clear, so happy, so.. Loud.. so painfully loud. </p>
<p>He couldn’t hear the music anymore. He couldn’t hear the other Amelia and Keith call for him. He couldn’t hear Luis yelling at the others to stay back. He didn’t even hear the audio screech when his microphone fell to the ground with him, the pain in his knees meaning nothing to his numbing body.</p>
<p>Never has a hallucination taken him completely out of the world around him, erasing everything, and having only the “couple” be the focus point. </p>
<p>
  <em>Keith, why did you fall in love with someone like him? He’s so dangerous, so unruly..</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>To be honest? I have no clue. Probably a spur of the moment kinda thing.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You’re so simple-minded, sweetie! Now we have this… thing.. Attached to us.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Yeah, that’s my bad. Roaches have this weird ability to stay alive, no matter what. It’s gross.</em>
</p>
<p>… gross..? Was he really.. Gross?</p>
<p>Pico could feel his whole body shaking violently, but it didn’t register that it was someone else actually shaking him. The real Amelia’s cries to Luis sounded like a banshee screeching, fading in and out in the background. The real Keith had grabbed onto his shoulders and tried to get some sense back into Pico, but his mind couldn’t register it properly. Everything was too loud right now, senses too sensitive, but his mind just couldn’t process anything right. He couldn’t tell what was real and what was a delusion. </p>
<p>He was going to puke out of pure terror.</p>
<p>
  <em>And to think he would actually bet your life on something that he would lose at! He didn’t even bother to ask!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Right?! ‘Cause he knew I would’ve said hell no! We can’t trust a killer for shit!</em>
</p>
<p>Killer…</p>
<p>
  <em>Honestly, if he wanted to do us any favors, he should just kill himself first. Then we can get away before he somehow has enough energy to point the gun at us!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You’d think he’d actually die though? He was supposed to die so many times before..</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>That’s true.. hmm..</em>
</p>
<p>“Keith” walked closer to Pico and picked up the gun from the ground, holding it up to his head, his expression slowly turning sinister.</p>
<p>
  <em>Maybe I’ll do it myself then. I can shoot him over and over and over, until all the bullets are in his fucked up brain. You don’t mind, right Pico?</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>If you love me, you’ll actually die this time, ok~?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>B A N G ! !</strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>The pain happened so fast, the blurry images around him losing more and more of their form. Nothing felt coherent anymore, sound too slowly and too quickly fading away. Pico couldn’t feel anything more as his body completely went limp, his head colliding with the stage. </p>
<p>The only color he saw last was red.</p>
<p>------------------</p>
<p>
  <em>”Hey, Pico. Can you teach me how to use a gun?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Why th’ fuck do you wanna know how to use one? Plannin’ to fight a gang?”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“No! I’m just.. I dunno, I wanna try it!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s not a toy, dumbass.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“I know that, but you’re always spinning it around like one. I’m too curious, I wanna shoot, like.. Like a can or somethin’! From a mile away!”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Pfft, that’s not possible. You’re not in a video game.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“C’mon, just teach me! I'm not gonna own one or steal yours! Just one shot--”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Click.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“ . . . . .”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“... you didn’t even budge..”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“Heh.. why would I? I trust you not to shoot me.”</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>“... Fuck you..”</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Damn, who knew that being dead would come with a massive headache? </p>
<p>… wait, was he dead?</p>
<p>Pico’s dull vacant eyes struggled to open, the sunset lights shining through the cracked open window. His vision took a minute to finally straighten up, glancing up at a painted blue ceiling. Was that an old sticker stuck up there? He never noticed that in Keith’s room before.</p>
<p>… Keith’s room?</p>
<p>Pico’s body moved on its own, shooting straight up on the bed, a sharp pain shooting through his head from the sudden movement. Groaning in pain, he rubbed the sides of his head, feeling some kind of bandage wrapping around him, he could feel a particularly harsh pain when he touched a certain spot, but he touched it just a few more times to confirm that it was a bad bump. </p>
<p>Just a bad bump? Not a.. Y’know, bullet hole?</p>
<p>Before Pico could think of any more questions, the bedroom door swung open out of nowhere, Keith now in view. There was only a moment of silence and stillness before Keith rushed to the bed, hugging Pico with all his strength and kissing him on the lips. The force was strong enough to push Pico back onto the bed, hurting his head once again and hissing from the ache.</p>
<p>“Sorry.. So sorry..” Keith whimpered, his grip weakened and trembled around Pico. His voice still sounded hoarse and dry, and even though he shouldn’t be speaking, the apology wouldn’t stop pouring out. “I had to.. Y-you were gonna.. Fucking.. I’m sorry…”</p>
<p>“K-Keith..” Pico’s voice betrayed him, making him sound so weak and helpless. Scared, confused, lost even.. “Didn’t you.. I mean, you.. You had the gun, didn’t you? How am I alive..?”</p>
<p>Keith looked up in horror, the realization hitting on what Pico probably saw back there. He quickly shook his head and kissed his cheek, both to reassure Pico and himself. “No.. You had the gun-- <em>cough</em>.. You didn’t respond to me at all, so.. I hit you, the microphone.. I-I had to knock you out, before you could..” his throat burned from speaking so much, but there was no way he could write this out. He didn’t want to write nothing out, goddammit. He wanted to speak. He had to speak. This pain meant nothing, not right now.</p>
<p>“Oh.. tch, so that’s what happened..” Pico forced out a short chuckle, feeling the bump on his head once more. “Stupid disease, am I right? Made me throw that match, heh heh.. Stupid fuckin’...” the words he wanted to come out couldn’t form the way he wanted to, his voice getting caught in a hiccup. His arms slowly wrapped around Keith, his hands clinging onto the other’s back for support. </p>
<p>“Did I lose, Keith..? I.. I don’t want to die, Keith..”</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>They spent the next half hour laying on the bed, tears pouring out of them like an overfilled glass. Not a word was shared between them until they both relaxed, Pico’s breathing calmer, and Keith's own trembles slowly disappearing. </p>
<p>Keith had to get his notebook to explain to Pico what happened before and after, how Pico suddenly went limp and kept mumbling something, breaking down and holding the gun to his own head. Keith panicked and hit him with the microphone as hard as he could, successfully knocking him out. The competition was cancelled, and the couple helped Pico back to Keith’s apartment. Amelia went back home to talk to her father, and how she’s going to force him to call the competition off. Nobody won, nobody lost, so no deal. Whether Luis wanted to be a spoiled bich about it and try and convince her otherwise, she wasn’t going to stop until he called it off.</p>
<p>After reading that, Pico gave in and confessed that the full deal was that he would’ve had to kill both of them if he lost, which was probably the reason why his brain broke down like that. The pressure of losing the competition, the fear he forced down suddenly rising up to the surface, taking over his mind when his guard was at its lowest.. Even though he was winning, the thought of losing was still too strong. </p>
<p>Pico begged for Keith’s forgiveness, begging him to still love him and let him be around them. </p>
<p>Keith responded with a soft kiss on the lips.</p>
<p>“It’s ok.. ‘Dad’ is the fuckin’ worst, heh..” It was Keith’s turn to weakly laugh this time, not at all surprised that Luis would make such a bullshit deal. “‘M not mad.. I-<em>cough</em>.. ‘M glad you’re ok..”</p>
<p>“.. stop talking now.” Pico held him tight, burying his head against Keith’s shoulder. “Your voice sounds like a dead squeaky toy, for fuck’s sake..”</p>
<p>What started as holds for comfort and stability, turned into cuddles of relief and love, and it only took a few minutes for both boys to fall asleep in each other’s arms. They wouldn’t hear any proper news until the next morning..</p>
<p>Pico didn’t dream that night. What a damn relief.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As I was writing this, I realized I could've been an asshole and ended that last chapter with fake Keith holding the gun at Pico's head, then called it a night. My sleepy brain turned it into this though</p>
<p>The epilogue is tomorrow, whoop whoop! What a journey this was. I hope it was ok, I kinda forced this one out cuz goddamn I wanted to write again.</p>
<p>I'm already excited for my other planned fic involving the trio. It'll be much different, but hopefully just as good!</p>
<p>See you tomorrow~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mission successful!  The deal was called off, since there was no winner.”</p><p>Amelia stood proud at Keith’s front door, smiling wide at her own achievement. Keith cheered and hugged her super tight, giving her as many kisses as he could muster. All the stress that was strapped onto Pico’s shoulders finally fell apart, all the tension washed away into nothingness. Luis may be a stubborn bastard, but that stubbornness was bound to be passed onto his own kid, so there was no way he was ever winning against her. Except..</p><p>“How come you got a luggage there?” Pico pointed at the luggage and duffel bag Amelia had next to her, Keith’s affection coming to a halt as he noticed the bags as well. “Don’t tell us he-”</p><p>“I left on my own.” Amelia answered before he could finish his thought, her hand subconsciously brushing through Keith’s hair. “Not permanently though, not yet. Daddy has become too frustrating to be around, so I took my necessities and extra. So…” she looked down at Keith, her once confident smile wavering to a nervous one. “Is it ok if I stay here for a while..? Just until things calm down and--!!”</p><p>Keith was literally a power source, his face beaming with excitement and joy, giving her one more big kiss before grabbing at her bags and dashing back to his room, tripping over himself more than once. Pico and Amelia were only silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. </p><p>Once both of them calmed down, Amelia finally entered the apartment properly and went straight to Pico, giving him a kiss on the cheek before hitting him with a soft “pap”. “I thought we told you to count on us more, Pico.” Her tone was serious, causing Pico’s body to stiffen. “Never make a deal like that without us knowing again, understand?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah, heh, I shoulda never taken that chance..” Pico’s smile turned gloomy, earning another “pap” on his cheek.</p><p>“It’s ok to take chances like that,” Amelia retorted, “we just want you to tell us the details next time, so we can give it our 100%. We can handle dangerous stuff, believe me. You know Keith’s competitiveness can make us go against the weirdest people, and my parents are literal demons.”</p><p>She had a point, they weren’t some weak nobodies that you would find on the street. Keith’s told a bunch of stories before on how he wins time and time again against random people, and her being around such strict and extreme parents..</p><p>“... wait, I just realized.. Doesn’t that make you a demon too?”</p><p>Something suddenly yet faintly touched his hand, causing him to flinch and pull up. Both her hands were on his shoulders, and her legs had moved any closer. He glanced down to see what it was, but it left as quickly as it came. </p><p>“Let’s not focus on that right now~”</p><p>Hoo boy..</p><p>----------</p><p>A month has passed since then. </p><p>Keith was finally able to speak without killing his throat in the process. His voice still wasn’t the strongest, but the fact that he was able to hold actual conversations without writing in his book was proof of his healing. After a check up with the doctor, he should be able to get his voice completely within the next month or so. </p><p>Keith had already challenged Pico to a rap battle once that time came. Pico responded, “Lemme think of what I want now, so you can give it to me as soon as I beat you later~” Keith tackled him after that cocky remark.</p><p>Amelia still technically lived with her dad, but she would only spend maybe a day or two back home before going back to Keith’s place. She once spent a week at Pico’s place, despite him insisting that being in Keith’s place was waaaay more comfortable and, well.. An actual apartment. She didn’t care though, and instead helped Pico keep the place tidy and clean, even patching up some of the bullet holes around. Keith eventually got jealous and decided to sleepover too, forcing them to sleep on the floor if they wanted to rest together.</p><p>It was uncomfortable, hard, and kinda cold, but they were able to fall asleep without fail.</p><p>Aside from that day, Pico never saw those fake images of the couple again, but he would still hear an occasion whisper here and there. He accidentally found a slight solution however, when he decided to hold a spare shirt Keith left behind. Weird as it might’ve been, the shirt always had some sort of warmth and scent that reminded him of Keith, which turned the mumbles of “hate” into words of “care”. They tested this theory by having Amelia leave behind a spare sweater for him, and the same effect happened. </p><p>It didn’t stop the voices, and it sure as hell didn’t shut up the ones that always called him a murderer, but at least the voices of the fake couple didn’t want him dead anymore. That made things a bit more bearable.</p><p>He would always grab his gun when a voice’s whispers got too loud, but he forced himself not to shoot lately. He would either text the couple like before, or force himself to go to Keith’s place. The voice always trailed behind, but as soon as he reached the other’s apartment, his breathing became steady again. Amelia suggested breathing exercises, but that didn’t work out well.</p><p>Not in a bad way. Just in a “It’s too quiet and your face is too peaceful, I wanna kiss it” kinda way.</p><p>Speaking of kissing and other means of affection, Pico one day finally asked the big question, “Can I go out with you guys?”</p><p>He asked this while a movie was paused to get more snacks, and just like with the kissing question, both parties stared at him in confusion.</p><p>“Are we..” Keith squinted, pointing his fingers back and forth between himself and Pico, “are we not ALREADY going out?”</p><p>“No, ‘cause I never asked you out.” </p><p>“But, like.. We do everything couples do. Kiss, go on dates, kiss, cuddle, fuck, kiss-”</p><p>“Stop saying that, you gay nerd.”</p><p>“Pico..” Amelia sighed, smiling but already expecting a stupid answer to her stupid question, “did you really believe we weren’t dating by now? After months together already?”</p><p>“No, because, and I quote,” he was unintentionally being sassy now, “I never asked you out. Hello?”</p><p>“I’m gonna beat him up.” Keith spoke bluntly, grabbing a sofa pillow and whacking Pico across the face with it. “You can’t call me a dumbass anymore, not with these dumbass questions you keep asking!” </p><p>“How is it dumb?! I never asked for you guys to date me before, so how would we be dating?!”</p><p>“We FUCKED in Ami’s dad’s CAR!!”</p><p>“So do sluts, fuckface!”</p><p>“So you’re admitting to being our slut then.”</p><p>Pico threw the pillow at Keith like it was a bomb about to explode, knocking the other off balance, then pounced him. Now they were wrestling while yelling at each other. Great. </p><p>Amelia audibly cleared her throat, causing both boys to stop in their place, Keith biting at Pico’s sleeve, and Pico holding the other’s cap up, getting ready to smack him with it. She calmly moved closer and bonked them both on the head with a hard hit, making them both whine. “Yes, Pico, you can go out with us. We’ve always loved you.” she smiled an innocent smile, making both of them blush. “Now stop fighting, the movie’s halfway done. Get up, c’mon.”</p><p>“Wait.” Pico got off of Keith and yanked him up before grabbing both of their hands and.. Just sitting there. The couple was left confused, until he huffed and blushed. “Hell yeah.”</p><p>“What?” Keith raised an eyebrow. “We’re just holding hands. We do this all the time.”</p><p>“Yeah, except my brain isn't telling me to die this time. I’m doing couple things now.”</p><p>“You’re so dumb, I swear..”</p><p>“I’ll fight you, Keith, don’t test me--”</p><p>“Start fighting again, and I’m going to Daddy’s place right now.”</p><p>“Sorry…”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAAAND DONE, GGZ everybody~</p><p>That was super fun to write, and I'm so glad all of you enjoyed it, it makes me super happy seeing all those comments you guys left behind. I wish I could kudos the comments</p><p>I've already started writing the other stuff I want to post, but I won't post anything until tomorrow. My work schedule is nice enough to let me sleep well, so I should be almost as active as when I first started. No promises though</p><p>Even though I already have 2 ideas, I'm absolutely down for some requests, whether it be a headcanon to act out, or some kinda plot. Fluff, angst, smut, all, I'm ready!</p><p>Until next time~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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